


Sunshine

by poet_olskuv



Series: Don't Expect Me to Update These Regularly [14]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Age Changes, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - No Camp Half-Blood, Annabeth & Nico are Constantly Arguing, Annabeth Chase & Nico di Angelo Friendship, Annabeth Chase & Piper McLean Friendship, Annabeth Chase is a Good Friend, Anxiety Attacks, Anxious Nico di Angelo, Arguing, Art, Artist Nico di Angelo, Best Friends, Bickering, Boyfriends, Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Brothers, College Student Annabeth Chase, College Student Nico di Angelo, College Student Percy Jackson, College Student Will Solace, Coming Out, Demigods, Depressed Nico di Angelo, Depression, Drawing, Emotional Baggage, Emotional Percy Jackson, F/M, Falling In Love, Final Exams, Fluff and Angst, Gay Male Character, Growth, Hurt Nico di Angelo, Insecurity, Jason Grace Ships Nico di Angelo/WIll Solace, Leo Valdez & Percy Jackson Friendship, Libraries, Love, Love Confessions, M/M, Making Out, Men Crying, Mental Anguish, Mental Health Issues, Miscommunication, Misunderstandings, Mommy Issues, Music, Neck Kissing, Neglect, Nervous Nico di Angelo, Nico Di Angelo has an accent, Nico di Angelo & Jason Grace Bromance, Nico di Angelo & Jason Grace Friendship, Nico di Angelo & Percy Jackson Friendship, Nico di Angelo & Percy Jackson are Brothers, Nico di Angelo Needs a Hug, Nico di Angelo Sings, Nico di Angelo and Will Solace are Cute, Nico di Angelo has Nightmares, Nico di Angelo is Bad at Feelings, Nico di Angelo is a Cute Dork, Nico di Angelo is a Good Singer, Nico is Improving & Everyone is Soft for Him, No Quests, POV Multiple, Panic Attacks, People Know About Demigods, Percy & Annabeth Never Went to Tartarus, Percy Jackson is a Good Bro, Percy Jackson is not Nico di Angelo's Type, Percy is a Dork, Personal Growth, Post-Tartarus (Percy Jackson), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Psychological Trauma, Recovery, Romance, Rough Kissing, Sad Nico di Angelo, Sassy Nico, Self-Esteem Issues, Shadow Travel (Percy Jackson), Shadows - Freeform, Shy Nico di Angelo, Siblings, Skype, Small Nico di Angelo, Studying, Teasing, Therapy, Trauma, Triggers, Undecided Major, Whipped Will Solace, Will Solace is a Ball of Sunshine, Will Solace is a Good Boyfriend, college stress, drawing therapy, getting better, growth spurts, will solace needs a hug
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-29
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:14:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 38
Words: 30,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23888056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/poet_olskuv/pseuds/poet_olskuv
Summary: Nico hasn't been the same since Tartarus. Everyone knew that, but nothing was helping him recover.That is, until Will Solace entered the picture.
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Nico di Angelo/Will Solace
Series: Don't Expect Me to Update These Regularly [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1511432
Comments: 45
Kudos: 300





	1. Chapter 1

(Nico)

It didn’t look right. The words on his screen flitted around uneasily, like disabled butterflies. It wasn’t the dyslexia this time. It was just that nothing was sounding right.

Nico _sucked_ at writing essays.

“Nico,” Annabeth said softly from the other side of the table. Her voice sounded wary and unsure. “I could help you write your—“

“I’m _fine_ ,” the boy said firmly, glaring at the girl over the screen of his laptop.

Annabeth seemed to accept that, and the table went back to being silent as Percy didn’t say anything either.

Nico and Percy were brothers, adoptive brothers. After Maria di Angelo had died in a car wreck severe enough that it should’ve killed the children as well, Bianca and Nico had been put into foster care. Nico had been ten, and he’d barely known any English (they’d only recently immigrated to the United States when Maria died). Nico and Bianca ended up at the Jackson home. Percy had always disliked Nico, but Sally had adopted him within a year, and they’d been brothers ever since.

Now, they sat in the library of Sparta College, the private university that they all attended. Percy and Annabeth had both taken a gap year, and so they were sophomores at the same time that Nico was a freshman. The older demigods sat with him to study nearly every day. Nico never knew why. It wasn’t like he was fun to be around. Maybe they felt bad for him, though.

Nico went back to sorting through his awful essay. He wished that he could just write it in Italian. Even after almost a decade, it still just felt more natural to use his native language. Sometimes, English just didn’t sound right, no matter how it was actually phrased or worded. 

In general, he hated writing this essay.

Nico’s eyes immediately shot up from his laptop as something moved in his peripheral vision. (He’d been a lot jumpier since Tartarus.) When he looked over, he saw that it was a boy. He reminded Nico a little bit of Jason, the closest thing Nico had to a best friend. His hair was longer, though, and attractively curly. His blue eyes were bigger than Jason’s, and they sparkled like the sea under the sun rather than being the pale sky blue of Jason’s eyes. He also had freckles all over his beautifully tanned skin. It looked like he’d spent every day at the beach over the past year. It was really attractive.

Nico silently scolded himself. He had to stop thinking like that. He had only recently gotten over that boy from his Economics class in high school, and he couldn’t keep doing this to himself.

“Um, I’m sorry,” the boy said. “The tables are all filling up...Can I sit with you guys?”

Percy and Annabeth looked at each other uneasily. Nico understood their hesitance, even if it had nothing to do with introversion like his did. Demigods were well-known among regular humans, and they were somewhat accepted—they weren’t thrown in facilities or experimented on, so that had to count for something—but Percy, Annabeth, and Nico liked keeping that part of them a secret. If the general population knew, people would be asking Percy to do tricks with the lake nonstop, and it would be very similar with Nico. Annabeth had an easier time, but she was still sick of the blond-child-of-Athena jokes.

They didn’t know if this was a demigod or a regular human, so they would have to be careful not to let anything slip around him. Nico wanted to just outright say no, but of course, Percy and Annabeth had different things in mind.

“Sure,” Percy said with a charming smile. “Why not? I’m Percy. This is my girlfriend, Annabeth, and my brother, Nico.”

The boy grinned widely—Nico thought that his white teeth shone like the sun, itself—as he shrugged off his book bag. “I’m Will.”

Annabeth smiled as well, but Nico just went back to editing his essay. He could feel his hair stand on end as Will sat directly next to him. Too close. Nico couldn’t let anything or anyonethat he didn’t know get that close.

Percy locked eyes with Nico, and the latter could see that Percy understood what was going on.

“Um...Will, could you maybe scoot a little bit away from Nico? He...he has a healthy respect for personal space.”

Nico appreciated the fact that Percy didn’t divulge any personal information, but something inside of Nico didn’t feel good as he watched a flustered Will moving away slightly. Nico couldn’t breathe with the close proximity, but he felt a little guilty.

“Sorry,” Will apologized. Nico just shook his head and continued working on his essay.

He just had to ignore Will.


	2. Chapter 2

(Will)

Nico had this aura about him that intrigued Will. It was an aura of overwhelming darkness. It drew Will in with a force so strong that it was disorienting. This kid was just so contrary to what Will was used to.

Nico was pretty much the complete opposite of Will in the matter of appearance. Nico had shaggy, unkempt black hair that fell over glassy, dark brown eyes. His skin was as pale as the notebook paper that Annabeth was writing on, and it was covered in scars. Will could only really see his hands, his face, and part of his neck, but there were so many scars, especially on his hands. There was also this thick scar on his jaw that made Will worry a little. Nico was so small as well. He was short and looked anorexic, even with the big aviator jacket that was obscuring Will’s view of his body.

Oh...maybe Will shouldn’t be looking at his body that intensely. If Nico was uncomfortable with Will sitting close to him, he probably wouldn’t appreciate the boy staring at him.

“So, Will, what’s your major?” Percy asked. He seemed to be the leader of the group. Maybe Annabeth and Nico only knew each other through him.

“Biochemistry,” Will answered. “I want to be a doctor.”

Percy whistled. “Nice. Good for you. I definitely wouldn’t be able to be a doctor. That takes some serious smarts that I just don’t have.”

“You got that right, Seaweed Brain,” Annabeth hummed. Percy fondly rolled his eyes.

“Didn’t need your input, Wise Girl.”

Will grinned. They were cute together. He could see that they were close, and the affectionate nicknames just proved that observation. Their relationship looked incredibly healthy, and it was nice. Will had always enjoyed seeing people in love. It just warmed his heart.

“What are you guys majoring in?”

“Marine biology,” Percy answered with an expression that seemed a little smug. Will felt like he was missing some sort of joke. “If there’s anything I’m good at, it’s sea creatures.”

Annabeth crossed a T on her paper before looking up again. “I’m majoring in architecture...Nico’s undecided.”

Will’s smile fell a bit. Why were they speaking for Nico? How come he hadn’t said a word so far? He was his own person. He could contribute to the conversation himself.

“Do you have any things that you’re considering going into, Nico?” Will asked directly, turning towards the smaller boy.

Nico’s eyes left his screen, and Will was shocked at how glazed-over and anguished those eyes were. He looked _empty_. He looked like a prisoner of war: tortured and damaged.

“Not really,” he mumbled. He had a little accent when he spoke.

Will looked back at Percy and Annabeth. They looked uncomfortable, but Percy offered an awkward smile.

“Two words is a lot coming from him. He must like you.”

Will saw Nico’s eyebrows pinch a little before returning to normal. Then, he just turned back towards his laptop and continued to work.

Will couldn’t help but become even more intrigued by this boy.


	3. Chapter 3

(Percy)

Before Tartarus, Percy had spent a lot of time affectionately ruffling Nico’s hair. It was just something he’d always done. Nico was his little brother and showing him affection felt right. He liked showing his loved ones just how much he loved them.

Percy had been forced to stop when Nico had had that panic attack, though.

Nico had been looking for a way to revive his sister in the Underworld when he ended up getting sucked into Tartarus. No one had heard from him for months until he’d suddenly shown up back home, his olive skin replaced by this sickly pale color and the life forced from his eyes. Percy had ruffled his hair when he wasn’t expecting it, and Nico had started crying. (After a few days, Nico had gone down to the Underworld again in order to spend some time with his father. He’d come back two months later, more withdrawn than anything this time.)

So Percy tried to show affection in other ways: sitting with him in the library, buying him a lunch that he wouldn’t eat, and being ignored by him as they walked around campus together. Percy was no Leo, but he’d thought that he would be able to get Nico to feel better.

It had been three years, and Nico was still deteriorating.

Nico’s roommate had moved out and left the room all to Nico because of the boy’s loud and persistent nightmares, and as far as Percy was aware, he wasn’t getting better. He didn’t know how to help his brother. He didn’t know what it would take for Nico to just smile, but he was willing to do it.

Because Percy really loved that kid.


	4. Chapter 4

(Nico)

Nico’s makeshift therapist in the Underworld had told him to draw what kept him up at night, what monsters he saw whenever he closed his eyes. She’d told him that it would help him vent without having to talk. Nico had always liked drawing, so it had seemed like a good idea.

That was how Nico found himself sitting crisscross on a chair beside the big library window. The corner was all but entirely secluded, and so Nico liked it. It calmed him. It made it easier for him to draw. Honestly, it made it easier for him to _breathe_.

Nico drew the river Phlegethon, drew himself dipping his hands in. He could still feel it in his palms, down his throat. It was so hot that it had felt freezing, and it had brought intense, maddening pain along with it. It had been the least painful part of his time spent in Tartarus, though. The entire experience was so hellish that it was ridiculous. The amount of anguish that he had been in was just absurd.

“Hey.”

Nico flinched so hard that he dropped his sketchpad and hit his head on the window. It wasn’t a monster coming after him, though. It was just Will. Nico scowled at him.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” Will said, picking up Nico’s sketchpad. Nico wanted to rip it from the boy’s hands before he saw, but it would’ve been pointless.

Will looked at the paper and raised an eyebrow. “You’re really good...a flaming river? Like the Phlegethon in Tartarus?”

“You know Greek mythology?” Nico asked, surprised. Usually, people didn’t know much about it. He’d never met a full human who’d known what Tartarus was.

Will ducked his head a bit and rubbed at the back of his neck. “Ah, yeah...I’m kind of a demigod.”

Nico wasn’t exactly shocked. Being a demigod was common enough to not raise any eyebrows, but demigods were still the minority.

Will sat in the chair across from Nico and handed him his sketchpad once again. “How do _you_ know so much about Greek mythology?”

Nico sighed. He supposed there was nothing wrong with a demigod knowing of another demigod.

“Me too,” Nico answered, picking up his sketchpad and continuing to draw. “I’m a demigod too.”

Will’s smile was blinding. “Sweet. Who’s your godly parent? Mine’s Apollo.”

Nico almost laughed. Of course Will was the son of Apollo. Of course he was the son of the _sun_.

“Hades,” Nico mumbled, averting his gaze towards his sketch once again. Will didn’t let him let it go, though.

“One of the Big Three?” he asked incredulously. “I’ve never met any demigods from the Big Three before.”

“Well, now you have.”

Will hummed, but he didn’t say anything more. Nico just kept drawing as Will pulled out his laptop and started doing something on it. It was...nice. He didn’t feel pressured to talk or be completely _there_ like he often did around Annabeth or a lot of the other people he associated with. He just felt calm. He felt like he could sketch in peace, even with this near stranger across from him.

“You...you’ve never... _been_ to Tartarus, have you?” Will asked after a while, once Nico had moved onto a sketch of Akhlys and her sunken eyes.

Nico didn’t say a word. He just continued sketching. Will dropped the issue.


	5. Chapter 5

(Will)

Will knew that he was gay, but he’d never really known his _type_. He’d thought that various actors were cute, but no features had ever really stuck with him.

Now, as he sat in the corner of the library with Nico for the fourth time, he mused that his type was petite and pale with tortured brown eyes and messy black hair. It was crazy, and Will knew that, but he couldn’t stop it. He’d never been attracted to someone like Nico before—someone so reclusive and brooding. He’d never been made so happy by someone so _un_ happy.

It made no sense, and yet it made perfect sense whenever he looked at the boy.

“Why are you looking at me?” Nico asked softly, not even lifting his eyes from the page.

Will’s heart stopped as he panicked. “Uh...you’re really skinny.”

At least what had come out of his mouth was true. Nico _was_ really skinny. He looked frail. It was almost as if he was going to turn into a sentient skeleton. He wasn’t weak, though. He had a lot of strength. (Will had found that out when Nico had pushed Percy the other day. Percy had fallen back a lot harder than Will had expected him to, and Will had made a mental note to never make Nico mad.) It made no sense. Someone who looked so ill was supposed to be weak and fragile. Nico was definitely neither.

“Just imitating my skeleton armies,” Nico joked dryly.

Will raised an eyebrow. “Skeleton armies?”

That was when Nico finally looked up, gazing over at Will through his thick bangs. Will swallowed. The way Nico was looking at him made him overheat.

“I can summon the dead and command them to do as I please,” Nico said calmly. “My dad even gave me a zombie chauffeur.”

Will’s jaw dropped. He had not been expecting that. Honestly, the more he learned about Nico, the more the son of Hades started to become the most powerful demigod that Will had ever heard of. He was almost dangerous...Maybe he actually _was_ dangerous. The thought should have scared Will, but it honestly just made him even more enamored. It made no sense.

Nothing made sense when he was around Nico.

“That’s cool...all my dad ever gave me was a passion for medicine and a thing for men, so I’d say that you have the cooler godly parent.”

Nick looked frozen, and Will noticed his slip-up too late.

“You...have a thing...for men?”

Will chuckled nervously and rubbed at his neck. “Ah, yeah, oops...I’m, uh, gay.”

Nico didn’t even twitch. He could’ve been a gargoyle for all he was moving, and it made Will feel a little sick. He’d be so upset if his crush was a homophobe. That would _suck_.

“Is that a problem?” Will asked. He’d wanted to sound confident, but that wasn’t working.

Nico shook his head, and Will let out a relieved breath.

“Of course not,” Nico answered. There was an emotion in his voice that Will couldn’t identify, and he saw a flicker of substance behind those empty eyes. “It’s not like you can help it.”

Will smiled at him. At this rate, he’d be starting a Nico di Angelo fan club by the time midterms rolled around. Everything that Nico did made Will want to kiss him.

“Thanks.”

Nico frowned. “Don’t thank me.”

“Sorry.”

Nico rolled his eyes and muttered something that Will couldn’t quite make out, something in a different language. Will hoped that he’d merely called him a dork, not anything worse.

He just wanted Nico to like him.


	6. Chapter 6

(Annabeth)

Nico was furiously typing on his laptop as Annabeth sat down. He paused and looked up at her for a split second before going back to work. Annabeth sighed. She hated this. Nico hadn’t been like this before Tartarus. He’d taken Bianca’s death hard, yes, but he’d been able to be happy at least some of the time. He’d looked healthy and normal. Now, he looked like an actual skeleton, if skeletons had bags under their eyes, that was.

“Nico,” she said. “I’m really worried about you.”

Nico didn’t look up from his screen. “You say that a lot.”

“Well, I’m worried about you a lot.”

Nico shrugged. “I’m fine.”

“You’re _not fine_ !” Annabeth exclaimed. “And that’s okay. That’s why you have friends. Friends help you when you’re not fine.”

“I don’t have friends.”

Annabeth was shocked. Really? Did Nico not consider her a friend? What about the others? Even Will was his friend now.

“I’m your friend,” Annabeth said firmly. “So are Leo, Piper, Jason, and now Will. And Percy’s your big brother. He, especially, cares about you. You have a lot of people that care about you...we just want to help.”

Nico scowled. “Percy thinks I’m annoying, I yell at Jason almost every time I see him, Piper doesn’t like being alone with me, Leo is probably the actual complete opposite of me in terms of personality, and I barely even know Will.”

Annabeth shook her head. “Nico, no...sure, Percy used to think you were annoying when you pointed out how much he liked me to strangers and _me_ , but that was back when you were ten. It took about two months before Percy stopped thinking you were annoying and instead wanted to do nothing but protect you. As for the others...You’ve just been pushing Jason away when he gets too close, Piper just doesn’t know what to say to you when no one else is there to break the ice, and you and Leo are a lot more alike than you’d think. Leo lost his mom too, and he’s actually really sad a lot of the time and could use someone who understands supporting him...And I can see that Will really wants to be your friend...you relax around him too. I can see it.”

Nico’s frown deepened, and he went back to typing. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Nico, I know that Tartarus was worse than the worst thing anyone could ever imagine, but we want to help you work through it. We don’t want you to stay empty forever.”

Suddenly, Nico slammed his laptop screen down and gave Annabeth a soulless glare. He looked ready to kill.

“You know what Akhlys told me?” he spat. Annabeth was too shocked to answer. “She told me that I was already suffering so much that there _wasn’t much more she could do to make me suffer_. You know what that means? It means I’ve always been like this. I’ve always been the messed-up, depressed outsider, and it’s always going to be that way, so stop pitying me.”

And Nico left, storming into a nearby shadow and disappearing. Someone walked past him on his way to the shadow, though: Will. He looked shocked.

“Woah, what’s up with Nico?”

Annabeth sighed and slumped onto the table. “Same as always...Every time I dig, he says something even more heartbreaking, and instead of finding a way to help, I just feel worse.”

Will sat beside Annabeth. “How long has it been like this?”

“Three years,” Annabeth answered. “When he was fifteen, he...something really bad happened to him, and he’s been so closed off ever since. He won’t even let us help him.”

Will hummed. It seemed like he was thinking about something. “You know, me and Nico hang out while he’s drawing a lot, and the first time—when he told me he was a demigod—he was drawing a flaming river, Phlegethon, and he just kept making the drawing darker and darker. There was just this vibe to it that was so dark and painful. It reminded me of stories I’d heard of Tartarus, and I asked him if he’s ever been there...I expected him to say no, but he just said nothing at all, and...is it true?”

Annabeth nodded glumly. “Yeah...he had just turned fifteen and was _stupidly_ trying to find a way to bring someone back from the dead. He got sucked into Tartarus, and now he’s even more reclusive than he’d been already...You know he used to have really healthy skin? It was olive-toned and really tan...he’s from Italy, and he looked like the stereotypical Italian boy, but he’s been pale ever since he got out. He used to be a healthy weight too. He’s always been skinny, but it used to be a lot more difficult to see his bones.”

“How long have you known him?”

“I was twelve; he was ten. Him and...he had been in America for only a few months, and he barely knew enough English to get by. He’d latched onto Percy like an excitable puppy as soon as he’d learned that they were going to be brothers...he used to be a lot different. Back when he was ten, he was giddy and upbeat all of the time...then his childhood was just _completely_ robbed from him, and he became this.”

“Nico was upbeat?” Will questioned incredulously.

Annabeth chuckled bitterly. “Yeah, I know, right? Who would’ve guessed? ...It’s not that I don’t love him when he’s like this—I love him either way—but I just wish that he could be happy again. He’s one of my best friends—heck, he’s basically my little brother—and I want him to have a good life...he just won’t let me or anyone else in.”

Will wrapped Annabeth in a side hug, and she turned her head towards him, raising an eyebrow. “What are you doing?”

“Hugging my upset friend?”

Annabeth frowned. Was Will coming onto her?

“But I’m dating Percy, and you’re—“

“Now would be a good time to mention that I’m a flaming homosexual, wouldn’t it?”

Annabeth looked into Will’s playful eyes and laughed.

She let him hug her.


	7. Chapter 7

(Nico)

Nico had no idea why he’d agreed to go out to lunch with Will, but it had been a horrible idea. Nico had to keep reminding himself that it wasn’t a date, and the skeletal butterflies flapping around in his stomach made the task difficult. How else was he supposed to react when Will kept smiling at him like that?

They went to a place that Nico was unfamiliar with, but Will claimed that it had good food and offered to order for Nico. Nico let him. He’d probably only pick at the food either way. Eating around other people make him uncomfortable.

Nico and Will talked as they waited for the food, and it was nice. The conversation was a little stiff, but it was something. Will kept smiling at him, so he kept talking.

When the food came out, Nico realized that the dish Will had ordered him was some sort of wrap.

His big mistake was not looking at what was inside before taking a bite.

Heat hit the back of Nico’s throat, but it was suddenly cold. It was the fire. He was back in Tartarus. He had to get out. He was going to go mad. He couldn’t be in here again. He wouldn’t be able to survive this a second time.

When Nico was coherent again, he was on a park bench, Will kneeling in front of him with an expression of urgency on his face. Nico was confused. What had happened to the restaurant?

“What happened?” Nico slurred.

Will got up and sat beside the boy. Nico was so disoriented that he let himself rest his head on Will’s shoulder, soaking up the comfort and warmth. Will paused for a moment but then wrapped a loose arm around Nico.

“You bit into your wrap and started shaking and yelling. And there were, like, black fumes coming out of you. The staff almost called an ambulance, but I took you out here. It’s been around...half an hour?”

Nico hummed. That made sense. “Oh...okay.”

“Uh...you seem used to this...does this kind of thing happen a lot?”

Nico shrugged. “Whenever I eat spicy/hot food...or food that’s too cold, like really cold ice cream...it makes me feel like I’m back down there, drinking from the river.”

If Nico hadn’t already given Will enough hints of his time spent in Tartarus, that had to be enough. He had to be certain that Nico had been down there.

“I’m so sorry,” Will apologized, squeezing Nico a little tighter. “I had no idea.”

“I know you didn’t.”

Will sighed. “Ugh, this was supposed to be fun.”

“It was,” Nico argued. “I had fun talking to you.”

Will didn’t say much more after that.


	8. Chapter 8

(Will)

Figuring out someone’s sexuality wasn’t always easy, but Will was determined. He wanted to see if he had a chance with Nico. This thing that they had was getting so unpredictable, and Will needed to know whether or not to take the plunge.

So Will observed, and it led him nowhere. Nico didn’t look at anyone let alone check them out. He never talked about cute girls or cute guys either. Will was starting to think that he could be asexual.

But then, it happened.

Will had forgotten a towel when he was in the communal showers, and his stuff was on the other side of the room. There was no one in the room, and so he didn’t really mind walking over to his stuff.

The door opened when he had just started to walk over to his stuff, and he turned to see Nico standing before him. The son of Hades blinked in confusion for a second before his face turned pink. He refused to look below Will’s neck almost frantically, but it seemed a little like his eyes couldn’t help but drift downward.

Bingo. Nico was into guys. At least...maybe he was.

So Will began trying to woo him. He took him out to restaurants—he made sure that the food wasn’t spicy like before—and spent a lot of time alone with him. He’d started to make Nico smile a little bit, and so he’d thought that he was doing great.

They were sitting in the student union building with Percy and Annabeth. Nico wasn’t eating, but the rest of them had burritos. At some point, Percy and Annabeth started laughing at the blond boy, and Will had no idea why. Will turned to Nico, silently pleading for an explanation, but Nico didn’t offer one.

He laughed instead.

Will had never heard Nico laugh before. Maybe that was a good thing because the sound made him feel hot all over. It was smooth and a little smug, and Will almost needed to excuse himself to the bathroom because of it. Will had never heard such a hot laugh.

That was his excuse for what came out of his mouth next.

Percy and Annabeth had stopped laughing, but Will didn’t even notice. He just looked at Nico in awe.

“Gods, _please_ go out with me.”

Nico’s smile turned into a shocked expression, and Percy choked. Will was pretty sure that the older boy had said something, but he wouldn’t know. He was entirely focused on Nico.

“What?” the boy asked in confusion.

Will took a deep breath. “Sorry, that was abrupt, but I want to go out with you. I’m crazy about you, Nico.”

The way that Nico blushed was a good sign, but it took him a moment to say anything. “Well, I _have_ always had a thing for blond guys.”

Percy turned to Nico in surprise. “Wait, what? You—“

“Yep.”

“But that means...you’re—“

“Uh huh.”

Annabeth smiled in amusement, and Nico’s blush deepened. Will smiled, waiting until Nico was looking at him again to say anything.

“So, is that a yes?”

Nico leaned in and reached a hand towards Will’s forehead. The blonde boy gulped, but Nico just smiled. He picked off a piece of lettuce from Will’s forehead and hummed.

“Now that you no longer look like an idiot with lettuce on your head, yeah.”

Will laughed. 


	9. Chapter 9

(Percy)

Seeing Nico and Will in a relationship together was strange.

Firstly, Percy had had _no_ idea that Nico was gay. Finding that out felt surreal. He was Nico’s brother, and yet he’d never noticed. Nico had never _let_ him notice.

But now, Will was cooing at him, and Nico was actually _blushing_.

“I’m sorry, you’re just...I’m not trying to make fun of you, I swear.”

Nico glared at the boy beside him. It was so weird. They were sitting shoulder-to-shoulder. Nico hadn’t intentionally sat that close to anybody since Tartarus.

“Sure sounds like it.”

“I think it’s cute,” Will whined, looping his arm through Nico’s. “Your accent is _cute_.”

Nico’s frown deepened. It looked poutier than usual, though. “Don’t call me cute. I’m _literally_ the Ghost King. Prince of the Underworld and all that?”

Will smiled brightly. “Adorable.”

Nico just sighed in resignation. Percy was baffled. Will had been rambling about how Nico’s Italian accent came out even thicker when he wasn’t paying attention, and he’d been calling it cute. If Percy had tried to do that, the floor would’ve cracked open, and a skeleton would’ve emerged to chop his head off. All that Will got was a pouty frown, though. It was stupefying.

Annabeth closed Percy’s gaping mouth for him, but then the boy jumped at the feeling of a hand on his shoulder. When he turned around, he saw Poseidon standing there, dressed in his usual Hawaiian shirt and shorts.

“Uh, Dad, what are you doing here?”

Poseidon sat on Percy’s other side. “I just came to check in, Perseus. Nothing big is happening on Olympus, so I figured I’d come and have a chat with you instead of just watching you.”

Percy blinked a little, but then Poseidon turned his head to address the others as well.

“Good to see you, Annabeth. You too, Nico...And _you_ must be Will.”

Nico disentangled himself from Will, and the latter smiled uneasily at the god. It was then that Percy realized: him and Annabeth had never told Will that they were demigods.

“Uh, pleasure to meet you...”

“Poseidon,” Poseidon chuckled. “Perseus’s father.”

Will’s jaw dropped, and he turned to Percy. “You didn’t think to tell me you were a demigod?”

“Uh,” Percy said lamely. “It kinda slipped my mind? ...While we’re at it, Annabeth’s the daughter of Athena.”

Will shook his head in exasperation and sighed. “Will I ever have friends who _aren’t_ demigods? Seriously, have I even _met_ someone who wasn’t a demigod?”

“The librarian isn’t a demigod,” Annabeth provided. “Neither are most people at this college. Demigods _are_ a minority, but I guess we just attract each other.”

“In more ways than one,” Poseidon offered, winking at Nico and Will. Nico moved slightly away from Will, and the latter pouted.

“Come on, Nico, it’s okay,” Will comforted, grabbing the boy’s hand. “He’s a god, so he was bound to know. Plus, Poseidon’s been with some guys, right?”

Poseidon nodded. “I’ve found that I prefer women, but I _have_ had relations with multiple men and rather enjoyed it—“

Nico freed his hand and started rubbing at his face. “Can we please _not_ talk about this?”

The conversation continued somewhat pleasantly—Nico was a bit stiff and uneasy the entire time—but soon, Poseidon had to leave. When he left, all that he did was disappear, though, so it caught a bit of attention.

And then, a group of people started walking towards them.

“Great,” Percy groaned. “Now everyone will know I’m a demigod.”

Percy didn’t mind being a demigod. Sure, it could prove to cause a little damage, but he was fine with who he was. He loved himself. What he didn’t love was when full humans bombarded him with questions or tried to make him do all sorts of tricks. It made him feel like an animal at the zoo.

“Excuse me, was that just a god?”

“That was Poseidon, wasn’t it? People tell me he dresses like that.”

There was a flood of questions, but then the girl that seemed like the leader shushed everyone. Their eyes were wide, and Percy sighed.

“Well—“

“My uncle was just stopping by to visit,” Nico interrupted. Percy gaped.

Nico  _hated_ people finding out that he was a demigod. He despised attention, and being known as the son of one of the Big Three drew eyes to him. Percy couldn’t believe that he’d just said that.

The group of people practically squealed.

“Your uncle’s a god?!”

“That means you’re a demigod, right?!”

“Which god is your parent?!”

Nico looked towards them and gave an incredibly fake smile. “Yes, I’m a demigod. My father is Hades.”

“Oh my god!”

“Have you been to the Underworld?! Is it super hot there?!”

Percy couldn’t take it anymore. He could start to see the shadows creep out from Nico’s hands. He did that whenever he was overwhelmed. It was like Leo with fire. The shadows started creeping out from Nico’s body whenever he felt too many emotions too contain.

“Hey, could you guys please leave?” Percy asked. “I get that it’s cool and stuff, but he’s getting overwhelmed.”

By the time Percy got the group to leave, there were visible black swirls coming from Nico’s palms and hair. He was shaking a little too.

Will grabbed his hand, and it was so weird for Percy to see. Will’s hand disappeared into the shadows, and the scene just looked so overwhelmingly uneasy.

“Nico, what in Hades did you just do?” Percy asked seriously. “You _hate_ people knowing that you’re a demigod.”

Nico shook his head with a jerk, and the shadows seemed to thicken. “It’s better me than you.”

Annabeth reached out to grab Nico’s other hand, but he just twitched away. He pulled his other hand out of Will’s grasp as well and immediately sprinted away. He ran to the nearest shadow and vanished.

“Wha—Where did he go?” Will asked.

Percy sighed, putting his head in his hands. “Shadow-travel...he probably just went back to his dorm.”

At that, Will grabbed Nico’s stuff and left.

Percy was just wondering what, on earth, had possessed Nico to do something like that.


	10. Chapter 10

(Will)

The room was dark as Will used Nico’s key to unlock it. The lights were off, and there were these darker tendrils in the air that almost seemed to suck the oxygen from the room.

Will refrained from turning on the lights. If Nico wanted the lights off, he’d keep them off, even if this situation was making him uneasy.

“Nico?” he asked, putting Nico’s things on his desk chair and blindly making his way to the boy’s bed.

As Will started feeling around the room, he was startled by bony fingers wrapping around his wrist. He let himself be pulled down onto the bed, though. He couldn’t see anything with all of the shadows surrounding him, but he could feel a nearly feather-light body settling into his lap, a warm forehead against his neck.

“Oh, Nico,” Will cooed.

“I’m sorry,” Nico whispered. His voice was thick with both his accent and emotion. “I just...I need—“

“Hey, no, it’s okay. Don’t apologize. I don’t mind comforting you, not at all,” Will assured, carding his fingers through Nico’s hair. It was so _soft_. “Do you want the light on?”

Will felt Nico shake his head against his chest. Nico balled up the front of Will’s shirt in his fist.

“I can’t...if I see you, I...I’ll freak out.”

Will held him a little closer. Holding Nico like this felt so _right_. It made Will feel so needed and special.

“That’s okay,” he comforted, rubbing his cheek against Nico’s head. “It’s alright. Just know that I’m here for you, okay?”

Nico nodded, and so Will held him close. He didn’t comment on the fact that he could feel his shirt getting wet, nor did he comment on the fact that Nico was shaking like a leaf. He just held him. This was big. Nico was a closed-off person, and he didn’t rely on anyone. If he was trusting Will to comfort him, then Will would do it however Nico preferred him to.

As time went on, the shadows started to recede, and Will started to be able to see Nico’s form more. He looked so frail and vulnerable that Will never wanted to let him go.

Eventually, Nico let out a sigh.

“Thank you.”

“No problem,” Will replied, squeezing the boy in his lap a little. “I’ll happily hold you in my lap and snuggle anytime.”

Nico sniffled and shifted, but he just resettled so that his back was against Will’s chest. Will put his hands on the outsides of Nico’s thighs, hoping that was okay. Nico didn’t seem to mind.

“I’m sorry that I’m not...touchy. I know we’re...we’re _dating_ now, but I just...I spent so long hating myself for being gay, and...I was scared of touching anyone after I got back from Tartarus. The day I came back, I went home...and Percy tried to ruffle my hair, and I had a full-blown panic attack...I’m a lot better with people touching me now, but it’s just so different and overwhelming. I just...I don’t know. It’s stupid.”

“It’s not stupid,” Will disagreed. “I’m just happy you agreed to go out with me, honestly. And I like sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with you. Even if you don’t want to hold my hand all the time, that’s perfectly okay. I’m not here to smother you with affection...A relationship is supposed to make you feel good. I just want to make you feel good.”

It was silent for a moment, and Will thought that he had said something wrong, but then the shadows were suddenly back, and Nico was turning around.

“Is everything okay?”

“Yeah,” Nico said nervously. His accent was thicker than ever. “I just...can I try something?”

Will nodded, even though he didn’t know if Nico could even see him through the shadows. “Yeah, of course.”

There was a pause.

“Just tell me if you change your mind.”

Then, long fingers found Will’s face and slid across his cheeks. Nico’s hands were shaking, so Will just stayed still and let Nico do what he wanted. The pads of Nico’s thumbs eventually ended up on Will’s lips, and the son of Apollo took a breath. If this was going where he thought it was, he didn’t know if his poor heart could handle it.

Surely enough, Nico’s thumbs settled at the corners of Will’s mouth. Will could hear a nervous sigh, but he didn’t know if it had come from him or Nico.

When Nico kissed him, it was light. He almost seemed like he wanted to pull away, but then he pressed in harder. Will reached up instinctively, and he almost accidentally slapped Nico in the face as he grabbed the boy’s nape. His fingers curled through thick hair, and Will felt his heart flutter as Nico hummed. Nico’s hands ended up moving too, down to Will’s chest and shoulders.

It was magnificent. Will would be willing to bet money that Aphrodite was blessing this kiss because it just felt so right. It was perfect, and Will couldn’t imagine anything better. Nico was kissing him.

Nico was _trusting_ him.


	11. Chapter 11

(Nico)

If Nico couldn’t see Will’s reactions—if he knew that Will couldn’t see _his_ —then he wouldn’t panic. He didn’t know why. He just couldn’t sit in Will’s lap when he was perfectly visible. He couldn’t kiss Will when the boy was looking at him.

But this was nice. Kissing in the dark with Will’s hands on him was nice. Romantic, even.

At some point, the kissing had become deeper. The boys were moving against each other almost desperately. Maybe it was because Nico had a lot of feelings that he’d never been able to express. Maybe it was because this may never happen again (Nico wasn’t sure that Will would keep dating him for long).

Whatever it was, it made Nico want nothing but the boy beneath him...he wanted nothing but Will kissing him, touching him, _cherishing_ him...

“Nico,” Will gasped as they pulled back for air. “Maybe we should cool down a bit.”

Before Nico could even think of some deprecating meaning to the words, there were hands on his face. He could feel Will’s breath against his lips.

“Gods, why am I so obsessed with you?” Will whispered, moving the pads of his fingers over the bones in Nico’s face. “I feel _drunk_ right now.”

Nico blushed but resettled so that he was resting his head on Will’s chest again. He was glad that Will couldn’t see the pink on his cheeks. Instead, Will just caught his breath and played with the skull ring on Nico’s finger.

“You know, I’ve noticed that this ring makes you look even _more_ goth,” Will joked.

Nico started toying with it too. It made him feel like he had a tumor in his chest that prevented him from breathing. Bianca had given him that ring. She’d told him that she’d wanted him to have something to remember her by when she died, as if Nico would ever forget her.

“My sister gave it to me.”

Will hummed. “Are you close with your sister?”

“I was,” Nico said, his voice becoming quieter, meeker. He’d never had to tell anyone about Bianca, for Percy and Annabeth had been around to witness her death, and Percy had told the others, himself. Nico had never actually given that news to anyone.

“What happened? Did you guys have a falling out?”

“No, she’s dead.”

Will was silent, so Nico nuzzled closer to him and took a deep breath. “Bianca died of influenza...I tried to find a way to bring her back, and I felt like, after five years, I’d finally found a way, but then Minos tricked me into the Labyrinth, and I barely escaped...and then I fell down to Tartarus...”

“I’m so sorry,” Will said. “That must’ve been really hard.”

That was an understatement. Nico hadn’t even told Percy or the rest of them—apart from Jason—that he’d been in the Labyrinth. He was embarrassed by how he’d been fooled, so he never divulged that information. (He’d also never told anyone about what had happened _after_ Tartarus.) He only told them that he’d been in Tartarus. He’d fallen into the abyss only a week later, so he assumed that it didn’t even matter. He was still messed up. He had still seen things and lived through things that haunted his mind both while he was asleep and while he was awake. He still felt like his sanity was a sandcastle destined to crumble under a small ocean wave.

His therapist from the Underworld had told him that telling people was a good thing, though, so maybe telling Will would help him in the grand scheme of things.

Nico didn’t say anything after that, but neither did Will, so he assumed that it was alright. He just wanted to pretend like nothing existed, like he could be happy.

Nico wanted to pretend that everything was okay.


	12. Chapter 12

(Will)

Nico was uncomfortable with the word “boyfriend” being applied to him, so Will—being the considerate partner that he was—would use “sunshine” as a substitute. Nico was his adorable little sunshine, even when Will was slightly intimidated by him.

Nico blushed whenever Will called him that, and so the son of Apollo counted that as a _major_ win. He loved seeing Nico blush. It made him even more adorable than he already was.

Word had gotten around campus about both Nico being a demigod and Nico being Will’s boyfriend. The reactions were strange to watch, especially whenever Will caught someone fawning over his boyfriend. It made him feel possessive. Nico was _his_ , not anyone else’s.

Annabeth made fun of him for getting so jealous.

Classes were out for a few days, and so Will, Annabeth, Percy, and Nico were walking to a pizza place nearby called “Castellano’s.” It was Percy’s favorite place to eat. (Maybe it was because they had blue raspberry lemonade on the menu. Percy loved blue food for some weird reason.) Percy and Annabeth held hands as they walked, and Nico and Will walked behind them, close enough to each other that their shoulders kept brushing together. It was nice. Percy was telling a story, and Annabeth was chiming in occasionally while Nico just rolled his eyes. Something about it seemed so purely pleasant.

And then a minivan suddenly raced to a stop right beside them.

An elvish-looking Latino boy jumped out of the front seat, and Will watched as Percy gaped.

“Leo?!”

The two met in a dramatic bro-hug, though Leo winced as they collided. It made sense. Leo was really small and scrawny compared to Percy.

“Geez, stop working out.”

The two doors on the other side of the vehicle opened. A girl with choppy, brown hair and darker skin exited the passenger’s seat while a muscular boy with nearly platinum hair exited the backseat. They held hands once they were out of the car.

Annabeth squealed. “Piper!”

And then Annabeth and the other girl—Piper—were hugging. Will was confused, but he just watched as the final stranger turned to Nico with a bright smile. Nico rolled his eyes.

“If you’re waiting for me to shout your name excitedly and jump into your arms, you’ll be waiting a long time, Sparky.”

The boy laughed but then pulled Nico towards him. Will almost protested, but he could see just how Nico melted as he hugged the stranger. Something about it made half of Will want too coo and the other half feel overwhelmingly jealous. Who _was_ this guy?

“I missed you, Ghost Boy,” the stranger hummed, pulling away. He seemed to only then notice Will’s presence. “Oh, sorry, my name’s Jason Grace. Are you a friend of theirs?”

At that, Annabeth combined the three little conversations into one. “Guys, this is our new friend, Will Solace. He’s the son of Apollo, and he’s super sweet. Will, these are our close friends. Piper McLean is the daughter of Aphrodite, Leo Valdez is the son of Hephaestus, and Jason Grace is the son of Zeus.”

Will proceeded to shake hands with all of them, trying to be polite. Pretty soon, Percy was inviting everyone out to pizza with them, and Leo was offering to drive.

Will climbed in the very backseat, and Nico was next to get in. The latter was aiming to sit in the middle seat, but he almost fell over completely, so Will reached over and steadied him by his waist. Nico blushed but just silently sat beside Will. Jason climbed into the seat on the other side of Nico as Will buckled his seatbelt, and Will still didn’t really know whether or not he was supposed to feel threatened.

“So, you’re an Apollo kid?” Jason asked. “Are you good at music?”

Will actually laughed a little. “No way. I’m tone deaf. I’m good at medicine and stuff, though.”

“You know, Nico has a really nice voice—“

“Jason Grace!”

Will’s eyes went wide, and he turned to a flustered Nico. “You sing?”

Nico bit his lip. He looked so adorably embarrassed.

“I like music,” was all that Nico replied with.

Will suddenly had a new goal.

He was going to get Nico to sing.


	13. Chapter 13

(Jason)

Jason was surprised to see how comfortable Nico was around Will. They stood very close, and sometimes they would whisper in each other’s ears. It was strange. Nico didn’t warm up to people quickly. He hadn’t for as long as Jason had known him. Nico was Jason’s best friend, and it still sometimes seemed like Nico was hiding away from him. He couldn’t see any trace of that with how Nico interacted with Will.

“So, are you guys in college?” Will asked once they’d gotten their drinks.

“Yeah,” Jason answered. “We’re over in Massachusetts. Piper and I are at Bellona University. I’m doing business, and Piper’s doing classical studies.”

“Leo’s going to MIT,” Piper continued, nudging her friend softly. “He got this huge scholarship when he was accepted into the mechanical engineering program.”

Will looked surprised. Jason didn’t blame him. Leo didn’t exactly seem like the kind of person that went to MIT. He excelled there, though. There were enough people for him to fidget without drawing attention, and he was really passionate about getting his degree.

“Please,” Leo said, pretending that everyone was paparazzi. “No photos, please.”

That was when a smooth voice joined in on the conversation.

“Your mom would be really proud of you,” Nico said.

Even Leo’s smile fell. The Latino boy looked touched, and everyone stared at Nico. Will gently touched his arm.

Leo closed his gaping mouth and smiled a small, genuine smile. “Thanks, Death Breath...yours too.”

Nico’s face was a lot harder to read than Leo’s, but Jason noticed—like he had back in the van—that Nico’s eyes were less empty. His posture was less protective. In general, Nico was a lot more like he had been before Tartarus. He’d changed a lot; college was good for him.

Nico didn’t say anything, but no one really expected him to. He just ducked his head and sucked on his straw. Will smiled at him in a strange way. The smile was a little too fond.

And then it clicked in Jason’s mind.

No wonder they seemed so close.


	14. Chapter 14

(Nico)

The entire group had ended up at the beach. It was pretty cold, but they had jackets and blankets, and Leo could warm up anyone that felt too frozen. Nico ended up swaddled in his thick jacket and a soft blanket. Him and Jason were lying side-by-side on their stomachs. They watched as Will, Leo, and Percy ran around in the water. Piper and Annabeth were a ways away, placing bets on who would complain about the cold the most once they realized that plunging into the freezing water had been a bad idea.

Nico liked being with Jason. People probably thought the opposite was true because of how often Nico just yelled at the older boy, but Nico really cared about him. That was actually the _reason_ why Nico snapped at him so much. Jason was so close to him, and he liked stepping too close. He knew too much, and it made Nico lash out out of fear. Jason could ruin him if he wanted to.

Jason turned his head so that he was looking at Nico, and Nico copied him.

“So, Will,” Jason said simply.

Nico furrowed his brow. “What about him?”

“Oh come on, Neeks,” Jason replied dramatically. “I know you...and I know about _it_ , so you can’t exactly hide this kind of thing from me.”

Nico frowned. Was he really that obvious? Was Jason going to judge him? Would the others abandon him for being like this?

“I don’t see how it’s a big deal,” Nico grumbled.

And then Jason did something that no one had done in years: he reached over and buried a hand in Nico’s hair. Nico had always loved when Percy and Jason would mess with his hair. When he’d only just returned from his months of torture, he’d reacted badly to it, but it hadn’t taken long for him to be okay with it again. Of course, he hadn’t said anything, and Percy hadn’t done it again. He really missed it.

That was why he had to close his eyes for a second as Jason gently rubbed his scalp. He felt so cared for. That feeling was so incredibly foreign to him.

When Nico opened his eyes again, a pair of sky blue ones were staring back at him. Jason looked serious.

“It _is_ a big deal, Nico...that you’re okay enough with yourself to be able to express these feelings...are you two dating?”

Nico nodded, and Jason smiled. “I’m so proud of you.”

“For what, being your gay best friend?”

Nico panicked. He’d just assumed that Jason considered him as not only a friend but a _best_ friend. He was so stupid. Jason probably thought that he was a joke. He was just pathetic. He didn’t have friends. He had no one.

“Well, I do appreciate having a gay best friend, but I meant that I’m proud of you for how far you’ve come. It was only a few years ago that I was watching you break down in front of Cupid because you hated yourself so much and felt so much shame...I’d very much prefer seeing you happy with a nice boy,” Jason answered, continuing to sift through Nico’s messy hair.

Nico felt like crying. Jason actually considered Nico his best friend? He was _really_ proud of him? It felt so good that Nico was probably going to _actually_ shed some serious tears.

“Aw, you’re such a softie,” Jason smiled. “Come ‘ere.”

Jason pulled Nico in for a hug, and Nico just let his tears fall. He kept his head against Jason’s collarbone and took deep breaths. This was so embarrassing, but Nico couldn’t help feeling cleansed regardless. It felt like he was Atlas and finally given a break from holding up the sky after eons. He felt like he could just relax.

“Do Percy and Annabeth know?” Jason asked once they pulled back and sat up.

Nico nodded. “Will kind of first asked me out in front of them...I don’t even think Will knew for sure that I was gay.”

“He was just that into you, huh?”

Nico blushed and ducked his head. “Shut up.”

Jason laughed hard at that, but Nico was distracted as a soaking wet Will walked towards them, shivering. Nico immediately stood, shedding his layers.

“You absolute idiot,” Nico sighed.

Will pouted as his entire body vibrated. “Percy talked me into it.”

“Never let Percy talk you into anything.”

Will’s eyes went wide as Nico started taking his wet shirt off of him, but he complied. Nico quickly shed his own baggy shirt and put it on his boyfriend, followed by his aviator jacket. Nico’s pants definitely wouldn’t fit Will, so Nico just had Will sit down, placing his blanket atop Will’s legs.

When Nico actually started to pay attention to things besides making sure Will didn’t get hypothermia, he gulped. Seeing Will in his clothes made Nico feel hot all over.

Will’s eyes dipped towards Nico’s shirtless frame. It was easy to see the boy’s ribs, and scars cross-hatched themselves over his pale skin. Nico was accustomed to the cold—the Underworld was always slightly cool—so he didn’t mind the air on his skin too much. He felt a little embarrassed with Will’s eyes on him, though.

Will blinked up at his boyfriend. “Aren’t you cold?”

Nico shrugged at sat back down. Jason gave him his blanket, and Nico wrapped it around himself tightly. “I’m fine. I didn’t just take a swim in a freezing lake.”

Jason chuckled. “Don’t worry, dude, you’ll learn to resist the Percy/Leo force in time. I did...Nico never gave _me_ his clothes when I used to join them, though...”

Nico blushed and swatted at Jason’s shoulder. Jason winced. “Geez, Ghost Boy, you’re too strong for your own good.”

Will looked confused and hesitant, but Nico leaned towards him and whispered in his ear.

“I came out to him a few years ago, and he’s gotten scarily good at reading my body language...so he knows.”

Will smiled at that and relaxed. Nico found it weird that that information had had such a relieving effect on Will, but he didn’t question it. Will neglected to question a lot of Nico’s weirder actions, so it was only fair that Nico would let it go.

“Hey, Jason, could you teach me how to be fluent in the language of Nico? It seems unfair that it’s easy for you to understand my sunshine when I have to guess all the time.”

Jason’s eyes lit up mischievously. “ _Sunshine_?”

Nico hid his face, and Will laughed at him.

“Nico doesn’t like the word boyfriend, so I had to improvise.”

Nico knew, just by Jason’s expression, that he would never live that down.


	15. Chapter 15

(Will)

Will and Jason were alone. Will was honestly giddy, and Jason seemed to find that amusing.

“Okay, what do you want to know about Nico?”

“Anything useful to me as his boyfriend?” Will answered, his hesitance turning the statement into a question.

Jason hummed as the two of them sat on a bench. “Well, for starters, he hates Valentines Day.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” Jason confirmed. “He sees it as an excuse for people to be d-bags to their partners most days of the year and then justify it by saying that they got them a nice Valentines Day gift...also, he was forcibly outed to me by Cupid, so that may have added another layer to it.”

Will had to admit that he was a bit bummed. He loved Valentines Day, and he’d always wanted to get his partner extravagant gifts on that day. He wanted to spoil Nico and make him blush. He wanted to shower Nico in gifts and happiness.

Jason continued. “That being said, he loves spontaneous grand gestures. He tries to hide it, but I can tell. I once showed up to his and Percy’s with a basket and a blanket and invited him out for an impromptu picnic. He was still really quiet, but he actually smiled, and I just knew that he had so much fun. So, if you still wanna give him the dozen roses and fancy dinner, he’d definitely appreciate it.”

“How do you know so much about Nico?” Will asked. He was grateful for the information but still felt curious. Jason seemed to be the exception to all of Nico’s usual rules, and they were so close. Will just wanted to know why.

“Well, that’s a loaded question,” Jason chuckled awkwardly. “I’ve known him for a while, and we were pretty good friends, but then I was given this vision one night while Nico was missing. It was of him, barely alive and trapped in this bronze jar. I knew that I had to save him and that I had to do it alone, and it took a lot of effort. I almost died like twenty times, but I got to him and saved him. He was even skinnier than he is now, and he was so pale...before we could get back to the U.S., we ran into Cupid. Nico had to admit that he was gay in order for us to escape, and he hated himself so much. He made me swear on the River Styx not to tell the others about any of this, but after that, we got a lot closer. He opened up to me a bit. It was mostly little things, like what the water from Phlegethon felt like in his throat, how stale the air had been in the jar...I spent a lot of time with him and got to know him really well even without him telling me most of it...he’s my best friend.”

Will gaped a bit. “You risked your life to save his?”

“Yeah, and I’d do it every day until I died if I had to,” he answered.

Will was impressed. Jason loved Nico so much. He was so devoted and committed to him, even if all of it was platonic. Jason definitely seemed like a person that would gut whoever dared to harm Nico. Will was waiting to be threatened with violence, honestly.

Instead, Jason just kept going.

“I’m sure you’ve realized this by now, but Nico is actually a really endearing person. He’s a total marshmallow. He really likes cheesy, romantic things. He once told me that he thought the best date would be him and a boy lying under the stars and just talking. Seriously, he’s so adorable.”

Will couldn’t help the smirk that spread over his face. Nico liked cheesy romance? Well then, he was going to get cheesy romance.

Will tried not to be too obvious, but it was pointless. “Does he like any specific kinds of flowers?”

Jason smiled. “Red and white roses. But never mix them together. He’s always thought that mixed bouquets were stupid. If anything else, put baby’s breath in there. He likes that.”

“Okay, seriously, dude, _how_ do you know this?”

Jason’s smile became nostalgic, a little sad. “Before Nico went through all that crap, he liked to go on these rants. They were usually about _very_ specific things. He ranted about flowers a couple times. He ranted about Valentine’s Day a lot too.”

Will tried to picture Nico ranting passionately about something, and he was sad when it didn’t quite compute in his head. Nico was so anxious and insecure. Would he ever feel okay enough to do that kind of thing again?

If he could, Will wanted to help him reach that point.


	16. Chapter 16

(Nico)

There was something so exciting about the darkness. At least, Nico thought so. Without sight, he had to rely on other senses.

There was the sense of smell: Will’s cologne wafting through the air, fabric softener from his sweatshirt.

There was the sense of taste: the salt of Will’s sweat, the stale food on his breath.

There was the sense of hearing: Will’s lowered and masculine voice whispering sweet nothings, the dull sucking of their kissing.

And then there was the sense of touch: Will’s soft lips against his own, his wandering hands.

Nico thought that kissing Will in the darkness was not only a way to avoid his anxiety but also a wonderful experience in its own right.

The two of them had been there for a while, so long that Nico had been forced to get off of Will’s lap and give the blonde’s thighs a chance to regain feeling. He’d moved to sit beside him. His hand was resting on Will’s inner thigh as the son of Apollo pulled Nico’s face towards him. Most of his fingers were wrapped around the back of Nico’s neck, but his thumb had settled right at the corner of Nico’s lips. Nico was so consumed by all of the sensations that he could hardly do more than move his lips, squeeze Will’s thigh, and bunch up the fabric of Will’s sweatshirt in his fist.

It was perfect.

Will pulled back for air, keeping their faces close.

“I wish I could look into your eyes,” he whispered. “They’re so beautiful. You have no idea.”

Nico’s face heated up, and his heart started beating faster. He felt so cherished and special when Will talked like that.

“Not only your eyes, though,” Will continued. “But your lips,” he used his thumb to press down on Nico’s bottom lip, “and your hair, and your skin, and your _soul_. Everything about you is so, so beautiful.”

Nico was bad at expressing his feelings, so he just leaned in again. He hoped Will understood his silent thanks. He hoped that Will could feel just how much Nico cared about _him_. Will deserved to hear those sweet little things too, but Nico just couldn’t bring himself to say them. He couldn’t even bring himself to kiss Will without his cloud of shadows surrounding them. It made him anxious.

After a couple of minutes, Will pulled away again. He stayed even closer than last time, though, so close that their lips were still touching.

“Can I take your shirt off?” he asked.

Nico gulped but nodded. “Yeah...as long as yours comes off too.”

Many stories and books liked to play on the more obvious sources of intimacy in couples: a kiss, a love declaration, a wedding vow, an orgasm... But Nico realized that there was more to intimacy than just the obvious forms. As Will slowly pulled Nico’s t-shirt over his head a reached over again to gently pet his hair, as Nico slid the sweatshirt and tee from Will’s warm skin, Nico mused that _this_ was what it was like to be intimate. This was what it was like to be in love.

Oh gods, Nico was in love.

The warm hands on Nico’s bare ribs made him jump, but Will just chuckled and kissed him again. The callouses on his hands felt so different against Nico’s skin, but he couldn’t deny that it was a good kind of different. He also couldn’t deny that his heart and mind were going haywire.

He was in love with Will Solace. He was in love with a man that he’d known for four months—dated for two. It felt so wrong to be feeling like this so soon, but it also felt right. It felt right to be with Will. Loving him had to have been destined. There had to have been some sort of prophecy detailing his fall into Will’s arms. Nico had always been meant to love Will.

Nico’s hands started to roam Will’s body as well. Will was lean and muscular. He didn’t have abs or anything, but he had a toned lower abdomen and defined pecs. Nico almost started drooling as he felt Will’s chest. It was so attractive to him, even if he couldn’t see it at the moment. He’d seen it before, in a more innocent setting, so he could use his imagination.

Nico started slowly leaning back, and Will followed him eagerly, until Nico was on his back, Will’s body pressed up against him. The way their bare chests pressed together made Nico have to focus on calming down a bit. He’d go insane if he kept this up.

Will kissed Nico deeply, and the son of Hades was so dazed that he could only just respond to the onslaught, whipping an arm around Will’s upper body. Will groaned as Nico’s fingers pressed into his skin. It made the boy beneath him shiver.

“Are you gonna say that we need to cool down now?” Nico breathed as Will pulled his mouth away.

“You know, I really should,” the blonde murmured, lips trailing down to Nico’s jaw. “But I really don’t want to.”

Nico’s fingers pressed harder into the skin of Will’s shoulder blades while his other hand reached up to tug at his hair. The kisses placed along his jaw just felt too good.

And then suddenly, it was like someone had poured ice water over him.

What was he _doing_? He was voluntarily lying beneath _another man_ , getting aroused by the feeling of being kissed by him. He was disgusting. Disgusting. He deserved to be in Tartarus. He deserved to be there. He never deserved anything but suffering and despair. That’s all he’d ever deserve.

Nico pushed Will off of him with a little too much force and pulled his blanket up to his chest. He couldn’t breathe. Images of Tartarus and the Labyrinth _and the jar_ were buzzing around in his head, and he hated it. He felt so terrified and dirty.

“Nico, hey, shh,” Will said, trying to calm him down. The lust that had just been in his voice was long gone. He didn’t want Nico anymore. He’d realized how dirty he was.

But was this even Will? Was it one of the Elder Cyclopses? Was he just imitating Will’s voice? Nico couldn’t see him, and it was frightening. He needed the lights on. He needed to make sure it was really Will. He needed to make sure that this hadn’t been just one big illusion.

Nico sobbed. “Lights on,” he whimpered. “Lights on, lights on, lights on, lights—“

“Shh,” Will shushed again, his hands on Nico’s face. “Breathe, sunshine. You’re okay. You’re safe. I’m gonna turn the lights on.”

When the lights came on and the shadows eased away, Nico spotted his boyfriend before him. He was shirtless and a little sweaty. His hair was wild, like someone had tugged on it too hard—Nico had been tugging on his hair—and his lips were swollen.

“Will,” Nico said pathetically, his face crumpling as he reached out to him.

Will immediately took Nico into his arms and laid down beside him. Nico cried into Will’s bare chest, and Will ran his hands through Nico’s hair. He kissed the top of his head as well. It was almost heartbreakingly comforting.

By the time Nico’s sobs died down, the sky outside the window was getting dark. Nico’s lamp cast a yellow glow over Will’s skin. It made him look almost like an Olympian.

“Are you okay?” he eventually whispered down to the dark-haired boy.

Nico sniffled and snuggled closer. He couldn’t look at Will’s face when they cuddled. He’d get too embarrassed. He’d start panicking again.

“Nico?”

The son of Hades let out a breath. “Yeah,” he answered. “I’m sorry.”

“What happened?”

Nico drew circles on Will’s skin with his finger. “I don’t know. I just...freaked out...maybe it was too much.”

“In what sense?” Will asked seriously. “I don’t mean to dig too much; I just want to know what not to do in the future.”

Nico was embarrassed. How was he supposed to phrase this? He’d loved the feeling of being beneath Will and feeling his lips kiss along his jaw, but something in his subconscious had rejected it. His best guess was that they’d just gone too fast. He hadn’t felt any intense emotions since Tartarus, so maybe he’d subconsciously confused his excitement for fear. Maybe the heightened state had tricked him into feeling like he was back in Tartarus, back to being terrified all of the time.

Maybe Nico just wasn’t cut out for relationships.

At that, Nico sat up. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed but didn’t get up. He just sat there. Will stayed laying down, his stare burning into Nico’s back.

“I think it was too fast...I...I kinda shut off my emotions for the most part after Tartarus, and I usually...the feelings that get through usually aren’t good...I think I confused being turned on with being in danger, like, subconsciously.”

Will didn’t say anything, so Nico sighed, grabbing his shirt from the floor, putting it on, and standing up. He ran a hand anxiously through his hair. Will probably thought he was pathetic. Who freaked out while making out? He was probably the most pitiful person that Will had ever met. He couldn’t even lock lips without panicking, not even with the lights out.

Suddenly, two hands settled onto Nico’s tiny waist.

Will’s nose ended up bumping against Nico’s earlobe. His temple pressed into the other boy’s dark hair, and Nico’s breath stuttered.

“I’m sorry,” Will sighed. “I shouldn’t have gotten on top of you like that...or started kissing your neck like that...It’s still really soon. I got caught up in my own selfish desires, and I’m sorry.”

Nico gulped. “Don’t be sorry. I wanted you to do it...I just don’t think my subconscious is totally ready for that kind of hot-and-heavy stuff.”

Will’s face moved lower, and he pressed a kiss to the flushed skin of Nico’s neck. This kiss was innocent, though, unlike the ones from before. It was comforting.

“And that’s okay...I don’t ever want you to feel unsafe with me, okay? If I do something that makes you feel uncomfortable, I need to know.”

Nico nodded. “Okay...yeah.”

And then he turned around and finally looked Will in the eyes. Will had such breathtaking blue eyes. Nico felt like they could see into his soul. When he looked into those eyes, he could feel the love inside him grow stronger. How had he gotten so lucky?

Nico didn’t know how to feel, so he just wrapped his arms around his boyfriend and nuzzled shyly into his naked chest.

And Will held his broken pieces together yet again.


	17. Chapter 17

(Will)

A call from Will’s mother was enough to put him in a foul mood. To top it off, it was the week before finals, _and_ she’d asked if Will had found himself a girlfriend.

Yeah, Will wasn’t having a great time.

It wasn’t that he necessarily disliked his mother. She had merely never taken care of him or given him any attention. She had her singing, Will was there, and that was that. She’d sent him to a boarding school for his middle school and high school years so that she wouldn’t have to take care of him, and that had been hard on Will. He’d already had to go through life without the presence of his father, and being sent to a strange school where his mother never answered his calls had been a little damaging.

Also, the fact that she didn’t pay enough attention to remember that Will was gay was a bit hurtful.

Will didn’t have time to dwell on that, though, because he had to study. He had to study _a lot_.

When Will got to the group’s usual table, Annabeth and Nico were having another little spat. Will resisted the urge to groan. Could they even go two weeks without a huge argument?

“The answer is no, Annabeth,” Nico spat.

The girl sighed. “Nico, I’m just really worried. Maybe if you had some medication—“

“I’m _not_ going on medication!”

Will just sat down with a heavy sigh and took out his books. “Shouldn’t you two be studying for finals and not screaming at each other in a library?”

At that, Annabeth sagged defeatedly. Nico grumbled a little and grabbed a green notebook from his bag. Will grabbed his earbuds out of his bag and offered one to Nico. They usually shared a pair of earbuds when they studied together. It was standard procedure.

Nico also grabbed a packet of paper from his bag. It looked like a study guide. Will wished that his teachers had given him study guides. As it was, he had to take a lot of blind guesses as to what information would be on the finals.

With another sigh, Will played some soft instrumental music, the kind that calmed him down.

“Is everything alright?” Annabeth asked.

Will gave her a smile, pulling up his calm, happy facade. “Yup, just have to get through finals before my brain explodes.”

“At least then you’ll be able to go back home for break.”

Will’s smile faltered a little, but he caught it quickly. “Yeah.”

The three of them studied for a long time, and Will couldn’t concentrate after a while. He reached out and grabbed Nico’s hand, hoping that the touch would calm him.

Nico didn’t even look at him.

Nico had this habit of not looking at Will. It was absurd, but when they were together, Nico spent more of his time not looking at Will than he did looking at him. Will understood it, he did. He knew that Nico’s anxiety was a major factor, but the fact that his boyfriend couldn’t kiss him with the lights on sometimes made him feel insignificant. Sometimes he looked at Nico and just saw his mom.

Will let it go, though. Nico was holding his hand back as he read through his notes. His thumb was soothingly rubbing against Will’s skin, and that was a lot. Nico liked showing affection in subtle ways, not obvious ones. This from Nico was like what a hug would be like from Will.

Will just didn’t like that sometimes, though. Sometimes he wanted to just fall into Nico’s arms in the middle of the student union building and stay there, letting his familiar scent calm him down. He wanted to kiss Nico goodbye when they left the library. He wanted to sit at Castellano’s with his arm around his boyfriend.

And that...that just wasn’t possible with Nico.

Percy arrived at one point. He’d grabbed two energy drinks for each of them—apart from Nico, for whom Percy had gotten four large coffees—and three large variety boxes of doughnuts. (The energy drinks were in a bag that he was carrying with his elbow while Nico’s coffees were balanced atop the top doughnut box.) When he got to the table, he set the doughnuts in the middle triumphantly.

“Miss Otis said it’s fine as long as we clean up any messes we make,” he hummed, passing Nico his coffee.

Will raised an eyebrow. “For once in your life, you’ve come prepared.”

“Finals are serious business,” Percy scoffed as he sat next to his girlfriend and kissed her cheek. “Sugar is a definite necessity as well as caffeine. Me and Annabeth found that out the hard way last year.”

“I keep forgetting that you’re a sophomore.”

“That’s because, if mental age was a factor, he’d still be in second grade,” Nico deadpanned.

“Well, it looks like _someone_ doesn’t want their coffee—“

“Mess with my coffee and you die, Jackson.”

Percy immediately backed off, looking scared. The fear seemed only partially fake, but Will understood. Nico could get scary sometimes.

The table was surprisingly silent when they started studying once again. It had never been this quiet, not with Percy and Annabeth there with them. When it was just Will and Nico, it was usually virtually silent, but Percy was loud, and Annabeth liked to make friendly conversation.

Maybe finals really were “serious business.”

It was because of this silence that the whole table heard Will’s stomach growl loudly. All three of his companions looked his way.

“You should have a doughnut,” Annabeth said, gesturing towards the boxes. Percy had already had three while Annabeth had had one. Nico and Will hadn’t had any.

Will shrugged. “My hands are full.”

Percy looked down at Will’s and Nico’s joined hands, rolling his eyes. Will felt a little defensive at the gesture. He was allowed to want to hold his boyfriend’s hand.

Before anything else could be said, Nico put down his study guide and reached over to the boxes with his newly free hand. Will assumed that he was getting hungry, himself, and so he averted his eyes towards his paper.

He was startled when there was suddenly a doughnut in his face.

Nico was holding a chocolate doughnut—Will’s favorite—up to Will’s lips. Will looked at him questioningly, but Nico just hummed. A ghost of a smile danced across his lips.

“Your hands are full,” Nico said simply.

Will blinked a couple times before opening his mouth. Nico guided the doughnut into his mouth, and Will took a large bite. Something about that series of events made Will feel a little flustered, but Nico just pulled back after that and took a bite of the doughnut, himself. Like he fed Will doughnuts all the time.

Percy had recorded the entire thing on his phone, snickering the whole time.

The four of them continued that way for a while. After five hours, the doughnuts were long gone along with Nico’s coffees. Percy had eaten about three dozen of the doughnuts himself while Will and Nico had only shared a few. Annabeth had eaten the rest of them. Maybe Nico’s poor eating habits were just wearing off on Will.

After five hours, they were also all exhausted.

“Please take these delta epsilon proofs away from me,” Will whined, collapsing onto the table. Nico rubbed his upper back soothingly, still using his other hand to flip through his economics notes.

“Aren’t us Greeks supposed to like Greek letters?”

“Nowhere in my contract does it state that I have to enjoy calculus.”

Percy shut his textbook with a sigh. “I think we should call it a night. The library closes in a couple hours, and we should eat something actually substantial for dinner before we pass out.”

Will looked up incredulously. “You just ate thirty-six doughnuts.”

“Doesn’t mean I’m not craving some comfort food.”

“Where do you even put all of this food?”

“My butt, of course.”

Nico rolled his eyes. “You don’t even have a butt.”

“Excuse me, sir, I am thick AF,” Percy scoffed. “Tell them, Annabeth.”

“No comment.”

“Come on, I have the second-best butt at the table!”

Annabeth glared at her boyfriend in warning. “Perseus—“

“Second only to Mr. William Solace, of course.”

And at that, everyone laughed. Will’s head hurt, and his brain felt fried, but he was finally feeling better. He had a good life now. He had friends and a boyfriend that had stupid conversations like this one with him. So what if his mother didn’t care? He had people who did.

He also had hours of more studying to make it through. That part was slightly less enjoyable.


	18. Chapter 18

(Percy)

As finals drew nearer, Percy saw a new side of Will. He’d become quiet and irritable. All that he did was study. He stopped responding to everyone’s texts and spent all of his time in the library.

And sure, finals were hard, but Will was really smart. He didn’t need to be studying so much. He was probably going to ace every single test. He could afford to relax a little.

There was something else going on that demanded more of Percy’s attention though, and it had to do with Nico.

Nico had come to Percy’s dorm to ask the older boy for advice a while ago. It was the most that Nico had opened up to him in a really long time.

Nico had told him that he was in love with Will. He’d realized this while they were making out at one point. (When Nico had told Percy that, Percy had gaped like a fish. Nico and Will had made out? Was this a regular thing?) Nico had asked Percy for his advice on a special way to tell him. It was, honestly, the cutest thing ever. Percy hadn’t said that because he would very much like to stay alive, but he had thought it. Nico wanted the moment to be special for Will, and it was just so _adorable_. Percy almost actually cooed when Nico had proceeded to talk about how long he’d been trying to get up the nerve for this, how he wanted to kiss Will in the light and look into his eyes as they held each other. It was so unbearably sweet.

Nico and Percy had eventually decided that Nico should draw something for Will and then tell him after showing the sketch. It was simple and sweet. It was just easy enough that Nico wouldn’t get overwhelmed.

Percy thought that the entire thing was perfect, and he smiled fondly whenever Nico showed him the drawing and asked how it looked, what needed to be fixed.

After seeing Nico so dead inside and empty, getting to witness this passionate and adorable side of him made Percy feel a little like crying. Will was a godsend. He was doing what Percy had never been able to do: helping Nico heal.

Percy wanted to give Will flowers and candy and the whole works.

But, at the moment, he just had to make sure that the boy didn’t kill himself via a calculus overdose.


	19. Chapter 19

(Nico)

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Will grumbled, biting the end of his pen.

Nico felt awful. He had no idea how to make Will feel better. It made him feel like a bad boyfriend. Will spent so much time comforting him, and yet Nico had no idea how to return the favor.

He’d tried to amp up his affection. He rubbed Will’s back as they sat next to each other and leaned into him more. He never rejected any handholding and even initiated a lot himself. He found himself enjoying the touches, and so he decided that he’d just continue like this from now on. He thought that it would help Will feel better, but it hadn’t. He was still drowning himself in a sea of notebooks and Monster energy drinks.

“Is this about last night?” Nico asked softly. The night before, him and Percy had been together. Percy had been giving Nico a pep talk. “I’m sorry that I couldn’t hang out—“

“You’re fine, Nico. I just really need to study, okay?”

He was lying through his teeth, but Nico let him. He wasn’t going to get anywhere by force, so he would just wait for Will to come to him.

“Okay.”

Nico just hoped that that would happen soon.


	20. Chapter 20

(Will)

It was after his last final exam, and Will felt like he was about to explode. He didn’t want to be so angry, but he was having a rough time. He’d been feeling so unsure and stressed out for the past couple weeks because of his mother and finals, and he just wanted everything to disappear. The relief of finals being over had yet to set in, and he was stressed.

Will was sitting beside Nico in his dorm. Nico was an entirely different issue. Will was sick of getting the green light one moment and then the red light the next. He was sick of feeling so clueless around someone that was supposed to make him happy. He was sick of kissing in the dark and being blown off in favor of stupid Percy Jackson.

Nico spoke up right as Will was about to make an excuse to leave.

“Will, can I...can I show you something?”

Will was curious, even in his frustrated state, so he nodded. Nico reached over to grab his big sketchpad from the nightstand. It was the one that he drew all of his nightmares in. Was Nico going to show him a nightmare? Was Nico going to give him a crumb so that Will could again trick himself into thinking that Nico would eventually treat him to the entire meal? 

Yikes, maybe Will needed a nap.

Nico flipped through the pages until he got to one near the end. When he reached it, he paused for a moment. Then he shook his head and gave the sketchpad to Will.

It was a detailed drawing of the two of them. In it, Will was smiling with his arm looped through Nico’s. Nico was smiling too, looking at Will as Will looked forward and led him somewhere.

Nico rubbed his wrist anxiously. “I...what do you think?”

“You drew us together?”

Nico nodded, and Will didn’t even look at him. Nico had drawn them together in his _nightmare_ sketchpad? Was the thought of continuing their relationship really so torturous that it had a place in a book filled with illustrations of Tartarus and death? Why was Nico showing him this?

“You drew us together in the sketchpad you draw your nightmares in?”

Nico didn’t have time to respond before Will got off of the bed and threw the sketchpad onto the empty one. He was sick of this.

“Will? What—“

“I’m sick of this!” Will shouted. “I’m sick of dancing around you! Do I even mean anything to you, really?!”

Nico’s eyes were wide, and he stood as well. “Of course you do, Will. I—“

“Really?!” Will fumed. “You could’ve fooled me! You can’t even kiss me with the lights on! You never tell me what you’re thinking! How am I supposed to be with someone who never even lets me in?”

“Will...” Nico said. He didn’t say anything after that, but his face looked pained. For once, Will didn’t care.

“Unless you can convince me that I’m not wasting my time, I’m leaving.”

Will started at Nico. He watched his face and recognized the familiar shift of his facial features. He was closing up. He was banishing all of his emotions from his expression, and it made Will want to throw something.

“I can’t,” the boy mumbled. It was so quiet that Will had hardly heard it.

Will shook his head and threw the door open.

“Unbelievable.”

And he slammed the door in his boyfriend’s face.


	21. Chapter 21

(Annabeth)

Nico never asked for help or comfort, so when he called Annabeth, gasping and begging for her or Percy or _both_ to come to his dorm, she sprinted out of her world literature class and to her friend’s rescue. (The few people who sat next to her and had heard her end of the phone call could vouch for her.)

Nico’s door was unlocked, and so Annabeth let herself in. She immediately rushed towards Nico and held him against her as soon as she laid eyes on him.

Nico looked awful. His eyes were red and swollen, his face was flushed, his nose was running, and his entire body was shaking as he choked on heartbreaking sobs. Annabeth had never seen Nico like this, not even when he had been in the midst of a panic attack. Annabeth’s nurturing instincts kicked in immediately.

Nico didn’t flinch away when Annabeth touched him. He actually leaned into her hold, burying his face into her collarbone and chest. It made him seem like a vulnerable little boy, and that just broke Annabeth’s heart.

“Hey, shh, breathe. Come on, Nico, breathe,” Annabeth murmured, massaging Nico’s scalp.

It took a while, but Nico eventually started breathing normally. The tears were harder to stop, but he eventually became a lot more lucid.

Annabeth continued running her hands through Nico’s hair, and he didn’t pull away. He still needed comfort.

“What happened?” Annabeth eventually asked.

Nico sniffled. “I think Will broke up with me.”

And then he was crying again.

Annabeth was so confused. Will was crazy about Nico. Why would he break up with him? They were meant to be. They were perfect for each other.

“What?”

Nico coughed through his tears. “I—I wanted to tell him that I love him, and I...I wanted to make it special, so I drew a picture of us together because—because we started getting close when he sat with me while I drew...I showed him, and he got so mad, and he told me that he was sick of me and our relationship and not knowing what I was thinking.”

Annabeth was furious at Will, but she hid it. Instead, she pulled Nico closer. “Oh, Nico...”

“I was gonna ask him to kiss me with the lights on...I wanted him to know just how much I love him, but then he was yelling, and he said he’d only stay if I could convince him that he wasn’t wasting his time, but I...I couldn’t...he _has_ just been wasting time with me. I’m not—I’m not special, and I can’t look at him when he holds me, and he deserves someone who actually knows how to be a normal person—“

“Hey, no,” Annabeth interrupted. “You are amazing, Nico, and I’ve been so happy watching you fall in love with him. You’ve been doing so much better, and if Will can’t see that, then he doesn’t deserve _you_. If he can’t understand that you’ve been hurt and that recovery takes a lot of time and care, then he is even more of an idiot than Percy.”

Annabeth had hoped that the last part would get a laugh out of Nico, but he just continued crying into Annabeth’s shirt. He didn’t say anything more. Annabeth didn’t care, though. She just sat and comforted her friend.

And plotted different ways to kill Will Solace.


	22. Chapter 22

(Will)

Percy looked uncharacteristically furious as he pinned Will to the wall. It was a pretty secluded corner of campus, so no one really saw them. That made Will a little nervous. There would be no witnesses if Percy killed him.

“You absolute scum of the earth,” the son of Poseidon growled.

Will gulped. “Okay, I’m going to need some context.”

That made Percy even more furious. Out of the corner of his eye, Will could see raging waves crashing in the, usually peaceful, lake.

“How could you do that to Nico?!” Percy spat. “He was trying to be vulnerable with you, and you _break up with him_?!”

Will gulped. “I didn’t break up with him...at least I don’t _think_ I did.”

“Well, he seems to think so! He was so upset that he actually begged Annabeth for comfort, and she held him for _hours_ as he had _three separate panic attacks_!”

Will felt his heart drop. He’d never even heard of Nico reacting so intensely to something. To think that he’d caused the man he loved that much pain...

“You said you were sick of dealing with him?!” Percy continued shouting. “Nico isn’t someone to _deal with_! He’s special and amazing, and he’s been through way too much for any young adult! He fell into _Tartarus_! Do you _expect_ him to be okay after that?!”

“No—“

“And he’s been getting better! You think he ever even smiled in the three years before he met you?! You think he let any of us into his head?! He didn’t, and so it’s a blessing from the gods that he’s improving like he is! I’m sorry if that isn’t _good enough_ for you, but I thought I’d never see my little brother smile ever again, so _I_ can see that it’s a miracle!”

Will was stunned. What had he done? Percy was right. Will was so proud of Nico for his progress. Sure, he’d been stressed when he’d snapped at the boy, but that was no excuse. Nico was in a very vulnerable stage of life right now, and it was Will’s responsibility to make sure that he didn’t get hurt. He’d failed.

Percy finally let go of Will, but he wasn’t done.

“He drew that picture of you two because you first bonded over him drawing. He was going to tell you that he loves you. He’s been trying to get the nerve up for _weeks_. He said he wanted to be able to kiss you with the lights on when he said it. He said he wanted it to be _special_. He said that you _deserved_ something special...I thought it was cute at the time, but now, I couldn’t disagree with him more.”

Percy left after that, and Will was left choking. Guilt consumed him. He’d broken his boyfriend’s heart all because he’d been in a bad mood. Nico had been trying to tell him that he loved him, and Will had outright rejected him. He’d let Nico think that he didn’t want to be with him.

He had to make this right.

When Will made it to Nico’s dorm, he was out of breath. He still knocked immediately, though. The other side of the door was silent.

“Nico,” Will called. “I’m sorry. Please let me in so I can apologize properly!”

There was a long beat of silence, but then the door was opening, and Nico appeared in Will’s line of sight. His hair was even messier than usual, and his eyes had that same empty look in them that they’d had when Will had first met him. He was drowning in rumpled, baggy clothing.

Nico didn’t look at Will. “You don’t need to apologize.”

His voice was so tiny and pained that Will immediately wrapped his arms around him. The door was kicked shut, and Will’s arms locked around Nico like deadbolts. He never wanted to let the boy go.

“I’m so sorry, sunshine,” Will gasped as tears started falling down his face. “I didn’t mean a word of it. I’m so proud of you for how far you’ve come, and I was having an awful day yesterday, but that’s no excuse. I’m an idiot, and I love the drawing. Please give me another chance.”

Nico pulled away. There was some emotion in Nico’s eyes now, but it only served to make him look so immensely breakable. There was a heartbreaking mixture of hope and doubt in them that made Will want to hug him again.

“I can’t...you’re wasting your time, though,” he said softly. “I can’t care for you the way you need. I’ll just keep pulling away whenever I get overwhelmed, and you don’t deserve that. You deserve someone who doesn’t have a hard time showing affection. You deserve better than me.”

Will shook his head. “You’re so wrong, Nico. I’m crazy about you, and I don’t want anyone else. I want you. I want to be near you and kiss you in the dark. This kind of relationship—this kind of _love_ —is more than I could ever deserve. Being loved by you makes me feel like the luckiest man alive...please forgive me for not making that obvious. Feel free to hit me too. Gods know I deserve it.”

Nico didn’t hit Will, though. He kissed him instead.

Will remembered their first kiss. Nico had been shaking and terrified even in the dark. He’d been so unsure. His hands had held on in a way that made Will think that he’d been legitimately afraid that it would all be a dream.

Now, it was different. The lights were on, and there were no shadows surrounding them. Nico kissed Will with practiced ease and wrapped his arms around the blonde boy’s neck. Will could feel so much love and adoration coursing through the kiss. Will’s body tingled as Nico deepened it. Their tongues brushed, and Will pulled Nico in by his hips.

Then Nico pulled away, and Will never wanted to kiss in the dark again, not when Nico looked like that. He was looking at Will through his shaggy hair. His lips were wet, and his eyes were slightly lidded. Will felt like he’d been punched in the gut when he realized that these were Nico’s bedroom eyes.

Yeah, he definitely never wanted to kiss in the dark again.

Nico scratched lightly at the shorter hairs at the base of Will’s head as he caught his breath.

“I love you so much, Will Solace,” he breathed. None of his usual hesitance or unsureness was present. He was confident in this.

So Will pulled him in for another kiss, and then they were falling into bed, Will on top of Nico and profusely apologizing between kisses. Nico eventually pushed him back—after about the eighth apology.

“Quit apologizing, and make out with me,” Nico complained. That definitely shut Will up.

Pretty soon, their shirts were off. Will was trying not to overwhelm Nico with too much too fast, but Nico just pulled him in for more. Eventually, Will gave in and started sucking at Nico’s neck and collarbones. The way that Nico gasped and whined made Will groan.

“I love you,” Will whispered into Nico’s skin. “Gods, I never thought I could love someone like I love you.”

Nico ran a hand through Will’s hair. The blonde looked up and into those beautiful brown eyes.

“I never thought I could _be_ loved by someone.”

Will’s heart couldn’t calm down, so he surged up and kissed Nico some more. Everything else could wait.


	23. Chapter 23

(Percy)

When Sally arrived in the student union, Percy couldn’t help but smile. Paul and Stella were with her. When Stella spotted Percy, she immediately pointed.

“Berbie!” she cheered. The way she pronounced Percy’s name was both hilarious and adorable.

Percy hugged the three of them when they were close, but within a second, Sally was frowning.

“Where’s Nico?”

Percy chuckled. “Probably got sidetracked with Will.”

“Who’s Will?” Paul asked curiously.

Percy had mentioned Will to the two of them before, over texts and calls. He’d only ever mentioned him as a friend, though, not Nico’s boyfriend. Nico wasn’t out to everyone close to him, so Percy didn’t want to force him into any uncomfortable situations.

(As a side note, Percy was still a little angry at Will for the breakup scare. The boy was mostly forgiven, though. In time, he’d be forgiven fully.)

“Will’s a friend. He’s an Apollo kid, wants to be a doctor.”

“And Nico’s friends with him?”

Percy smiled awkwardly. “They’re really close.”

The confusion that Percy could see on Paul’s and Sally’s faces was understandable. They hadn’t witnessed Nico’s transformation. They hadn’t seen him since he’d moved into his dorm. Percy was honestly looking forward to the looks on their faces.

Nico obviously knew that he was late, so Percy didn’t feel too anxious about what happened next.

Nico and Will were holding hands as they walked in, and Will was being a gentleman, carrying all of Nico’s luggage for him. Will said something softly, and Nico threw his head back, laughing. Will looked over at him fondly and tugged him that much closer.

Sally and Paul were _floored_.

Nico started looking a little more bashful as he approached, but Will seemed unable to wipe that fond look off of his face. As the couple walked, some people smiled and waved. They waved back. Thinking about it now, Percy realized that Nico’s slight popularity was probably also a shock.

Stella gasped as the two stopped in front of her and Paul. “Gigyo!”

Nico smiled. “Hey, Stell.”

When he turned to the others, Percy could see him start to get overwhelmed. Percy decided to break the silence himself.

“Mom, Paul, this is Will Solace,” Percy introduced.

Will let go of both Nico’s bags and Nico’s hand, reaching over and shaking hands with the couple. Percy could tell that he was trying very hard to be as polite as possible.

“It’s so nice to meet you,” he said.

Sally seemed to snap out of her shock first. “Oh, you too, Will. I’m Sally, Percy and Nico’s mother...I understand that you’ve befriended my sons?”

Will smirked over at Nico, and Percy laughed as Nico rubbed at the back of his neck. He spoke up, probably to prevent Will from saying something smug or cheesy.

“Will and I are kind of together,” the boy blurted.

Paul blinked slowly at the two of them, but Sally smiled widely. Percy swore that he could see tears in her eyes. She had always been so emotional.

“Oh!” she cooed excitedly before pulling Nico in for a hug. She obviously expected the boy to flinch, for she looked startled and started actually crying after a moment of him merely hugging back.

Nico’s eyes went wide. “Mom, are you _crying_?”

“I’m just so happy for you, sweetie,” she laughed wetly. “So happy.”

And soon, it was time to leave. Percy gaped a little as he watched Will kiss Nico goodbye. He’d never seen them kiss before, but lo and behold, they hugged and kissed like they were the only ones in the room.

“Text me when you get home,” Will hummed.

Nico nodded. “You too.”

And then they were leaving.


	24. Chapter 24

(Nico)

Nico leaned against the window. Percy was fast asleep, leaning against Stella’s car seat. Stella was snoozing away as well. Nico was resting his head against the window and watching the traffic, himself. He’d never been able to sleep in moving vehicles, so he was bound to stay awake for the entire trip.

Paul hadn’t said anything at all since Nico had seen him, and Sally hadn’t exactly commented on the bomb that Nico had dropped on them. It made Nico anxious. Were they okay with it? Did it make them uncomfortable?

“Paul? Mom?” he asked after about an hour.

“Yeah?” they replied at the same time.

Nico bit his lip and messed with the skull ring on his finger. “You don’t...It’s okay that I’m gay, right?”

At that, Sally turned around in her seat. She reached out a hand and put it on Nico’s knee.

“Of course it is, Nico,” she assured. “I’ll admit that I was shocked, but I haven’t seen you this happy in years. Why should I care if it’s a boy that’s making you happy?”

Nico nodded a little. He was relieved that Sally was fine with it, but Paul still hadn’t said anything.

Paul huffed. “I don’t mind you being gay, kid. Just try to cover up the... _marks_ more.”

Nico’s face went red, and he immediately pulled out his phone, opening the camera app. Surely enough, there were a couple of tiny bruises peaking out from beneath the collar of his shirt.

“Oh my gods,” he groaned, wrapping his jacket around himself like a bathrobe and making himself as small as possible.

Paul let out a breath. “It’s fine, Nico. It’s normal for boys your age to have _urges_ —“

“Can we _please_ not have this conversation?”

“I just want to be sure that he’s treating you right—“

Nico felt like he was going to die. He could almost hear his father laughing at him from the Underworld.

“Will’s a total gentleman, okay? Can we stop talking about this now?”

“Are you being safe?”

“Really, can we please stop?”

This time, it was Sally that spoke. “You know, sweetie, some STIs can be fatal, especially HIV. Safe sex is important. It only takes one to get infect—“

“My gods, I’m a virgin, okay?! Me and Will are both virgins! He just gives me hickeys when we make out! That’s it!”

Paul hummed and then muttered under his breath, “Hmm, I like that kid a lot more now.”

Nico would rather be trapped in that stupid bronze jar again than have this conversation.

Suddenly, he heard snickering from beside him. Percy was awake, and he was laughing hysterically.

“How much of that were you awake for?”

Percy snorted. “ _All_ of it, dude...I’m gonna text Will a play-by-play.”

“What—no—Percy!”

Nico tried to wrestle Percy, but it was a failed attempt, and Sally chastised them.

“Boys! Stop it. You’re going to wake your sister.”

Nico just sighed and pouted, going back to looking out the window. He didn’t even have to look to know that Percy was smirking.

“You better watch your back, Jackson.”

And the smirk faltered.


	25. Chapter 25

(Will)

There was a man holding a sign with Will’s name on it when the boy got off the plane. He sighed. It was stupid of him to actually expect his mother to come.

As it was, Naomi Solace’s assistant, Mr. J, was the one picking Will up from the airport.

“Hey, kid,” Mr. J said kindly as they walked towards the parking ramp. “How’ve you been?”

“Good.”

“Are you liking college?”

“Yeah.”

“Have you made any friends?”

“A few.”

Mr. J didn’t speak again until later. He just led Will to the car and put his bags in the trunk for him. It was about a half-hour drive to the house, but it would probably be longer with all of the traffic. That meant that Will and Mr. J would be alone together for quite a bit. Will didn’t mind at all...he just kind of wished that it was Naomi instead.

Once Mr. J had driven out of the airport’s parking ramp, he cleared his throat. “So, what kind of things have you been up to at college?”

“Not much,” Will shrugged. He could already feel his posture start to slump. He already felt small. “Just hung out, ate pizza, studied...”

“Meet any cute boys?”

The fact that Mr. J had made a point to remember Will’s sexuality made the boy feel squashed. How come his own mother couldn’t care to remember while Mr. J could?

“Just one,” Will answered. “But he’s extra cute.”

Mr. J’s eyes lit up. He genuinely cared about Will. He genuinely wanted to know about his life. Unlike Naomi.

“Is he your boyfriend?”

“Yeah...it’s been a few months.”

Mr. J reached over and gave Will a quick shoulder-squeeze before returning both hands to the wheel. “What’s his name?”

“Nico di Angelo.”

“That’s a mouthful.”

“Yeah,” Will chuckled a little. “He’s Italian...migrated to the U.S. from Italy when he was ten.”

“What’s he like?”

Will hummed. “He’s really quiet and shy, and he’s been through a lot, but he’s also really funny and sweet...He’s a son of Hades.”

“You’re dating a child of Hades?” Mr. J asked, surprised. Will understood the shock.

“Yeah, I am.”

“Well, you’ll have to show me a picture at the next stoplight.”

Will pulled out his phone at the request. He scrolled through his photos until he found an especially nice one of Nico. The picture that he settled on was one of Will and Nico together. It was a selfie that Will had impulsively taken of them at Castellano’s. He’d told Nico that the lighting was just right, and it had been. The warmth of the light made Nico look even more breathtaking. In the picture, Nico was leaning into Will and smiling shyly. His head was facing slightly downward, and that scar on his jaw was fully visible in the light. That picture was the home screen on Will’s phone. It was a picture that he absolutely adored.

When Mr. J stopped at a red light, Will showed the picture to him. The man smiled at the sight of it.

“He looks like a negative image of you,” Mr. J chuckled.

Will shrugged with a little smile.

“Opposites attract.”


	26. Chapter 26

(Sally)

Sally had to excuse herself for a moment once they’d all gotten home. She was just feeling too many emotions.

When Nico had first come into Sally’s life with Bianca as her new foster-son, the woman had immediately been won over. She loved Nico like he was her own. She knew that she’d never fill the role that Maria di Angelo still had in Nico’s life, even after her death, but he was her son. He had been since he’d first walked into Sally’s life.

After seeing Nico suffer so much, Sally, as a mother, felt her heart grow four sizes at the sight of Nico’s smile, at the trusting way he’d leaned into his boyfriend’s kiss. Nico was finally starting to heal, and Sally was so grateful. She was so grateful to have her son back. She’d thought she’d lost him down in Tartarus.

Some boy that she had never met had brought him back, though.

She kind of wanted to send him some flowers.

When Sally returned to the living room, she was blessed by the sight of Nico and Percy playing a video game together. Percy was hanging upside down from the couch, and Nico sat on the floor in front of the piece of furniture. They were so absorbed in the game that a bomb could probably go off without them noticing.

So Sally crept behind the TV and took a picture of them.

She loved her family so much.


	27. Chapter 27

(Nico)

It seemed a bit silly to Nico, how Leo and Piper were literally the only people that didn’t know he was gay.

Nico had been scared to reveal it before, but now that everyone knew—now that he’d told Will that he loved him—it didn’t seem nearly as scary as before. It just seemed like some annoying thing that he had to get over with...like a final exam.

So, Nico had chickened out and told them over text, just to get it over with. They’d been accepting, if not a little confused. Because of their reactions, he’d deemed the deed through with and promptly moved onto other things.

He was eating breakfast with Percy at the moment. He’d texted Will the day before, and they’d decided to Skype later that day. Paul and Sally had work, and they hadn’t wanted to force the boys to watch their sister, so Stella was at daycare. It was just Percy and Nico.

“Hey, Nico?” Percy asked at one point.

Nico hummed. “Yeah?”

Percy avoided eye contact. He was nervous.

“Um, I just...ever since you came back from Tartarus, you’ve wanted a bit of space, but lately...lately you seem fine with touching and stuff.”

Nico shrugged. “After the first week, I didn’t mind it from people I know...I...I kinda miss how you used to...like, mess with my hair and stuff.”

Nico cursed himself. He shouldn’t have said that. Percy just thought he was annoying. Nico was just a parasite that Percy was forced to deal with. Percy would just think that he was stup—

His inner monologue was cut off by Percy hug-tackling him enough with so much force that it knocked Nico’s chair over. The younger boy hit his head on the floor, but Percy just smiled and hummed.

“Oh my gods, I’m so glad. I missed it too. I kept trying to show affection without touching you, but it never feels like you can tell.”

Nico was alarmed, but he just wrapped his arms gingerly around his brother. Percy seemed way too happy.

But, honestly, Nico was happy too. He loved affection, and he was getting it.

Maybe things were really starting to look up.


	28. Chapter 28

(Will)

Will plastered a smile on his face as he waited for Nico to answer. He had promised to Skype, and he couldn’t worry his boyfriend. Nico didn’t need that stress on top of everything else.

It was when Nico answered that his smile became real.

Nico was sitting in front of his laptop, magenta hoodie over his torso and a plate of saucy spaghetti in his lap. He was sitting with his legs crisscrossed. His hair was a tiny bit messier than usual too, and he looked happy. Will could even hear soft music filter through, but he couldn’t quite recognize the song. Nico seemed to be swaying to it slightly, though.

It was _adorable_.

“Hey,” he greeted with a beautiful smile. Will felt his heart speed up.

Ever since Nico had told Will that he loved him, the son of Hades had been so much more affectionate and expressive around him. He smiled with more confidence, touched with a firmer pressure, and honestly just seemed so perfectly _soft_. He’d started sweetly complimenting Will whenever they were alone and looking at the taller boy like he was hanging onto every word. Nico was acting so utterly enamored as of late.

And Will _loved_ it.

Nico rolled his eyes when Will didn’t respond. “You know, when someone says hi, it’s customary for you to say hi back.”

Will blushed. “Uh, yeah, sorry. Hi,” he stammered.

Nico just shook his head fondly as he took a bite of his spaghetti. Just that made Will feel flustered, for Nico hated eating in front of people. That was the main reason that it was hard for him to gain weight. He was always around people, but he never felt completely at ease around them, not enough to eat. The fact that Nico was packing away a massive plate of pasta in front of him was _huge_.

“I love you, you know?” Will hummed dreamily.

Nico nearly choked on his pasta. After a couple coughs, he answered, though.

“I love you too.”

Nico laughed a little at Will’s face as it split into a giant smile. Will couldn’t help it, though. He was so utterly taken with Nico. As time went on, the pull that he’d always felt grew stronger and stronger. The two of them were magnets at opposite poles...It would be impossible to break this attraction, this connection. It would be impossible for Will to not feel this way for his boyfriend.

“Why do you look all sentimental, you dork?” Nico chuckled.

Will shrugged. “I just love you...and you look stunning, even through the crappy screen. You’re making my brain short-circuit right now, sunshine.”

It was Nico’s turn to blush. He was a bit speechless, and he tried to cover it up by taking another bite of his food, but Will could recognize how flustered he was. He knew Nico far too well to be fooled. He could tell when Nico was embarrassed.

“You’re too much sometimes, you know?” Nico laughed nervously.

Will smirked. “I’m well aware.”

The two of them spent a long time on the call, and Will was glad that Nico seemed just as eager to talk to him. The conversation was soothing. Honestly, just hearing Nico’s voice and seeing his face was soothing. Will tried to think back to the moment in which just being with Nico had become his calm, but he couldn’t even remember when it had been. All that he knew was that his anxiety dissipated at the sound of that voice, that his shoulders sagged at the way the smaller boy tried to blow his hair away from his eyes. Everything about Nico was just so calming.

But his brother was a little bit of a different story.

Nico and Will had been sharing fun high school stories when Percy suddenly appeared in the frame, launching himself at Nico. Will was in awe as Nico merely laughed and let himself get pushed into the cushions of the couch (it was a good thing that he had moved his plate). A certain warmth spread throughout Will’s chest at the sight of how happy his boyfriend was.

“Hey, Will!” Percy cheered.

Will smiled warmly at him. “Hey, Perce. How’s it going?”

“Great!” Percy exclaimed, pulling Nico back into a sitting position next to him. “Jason, Annabeth, Piper, and Leo are coming over tomorrow, after Nico’s appointment.”

A sudden worry filled Will. Appointment? Was Nico okay?

“Appointment?”

“I’m getting a haircut,” Nico elaborated, rolling his eyes.

Will was relieved that it was just a hair appointment, but he still pouted. “But I like your hair,” he whined.

“Don’t worry,” Percy said smugly. “Nico’s already picked out a style to show the hairdresser, and it’s _super_ sexy. You’ll love it.”

Percy wiggled his eyebrows, but then Nico pushed him. Percy was sent into the arm of the couch. Will was almost worried for him, but then the older boy was laughing. Nico scowled.

“Just ignore him; he has the mental capacity of a walnut,” Nico sighed. “My hair’s getting long, and I wanted to try something new. I still want it to be pretty long on top, so...eh...it should still be a good length for, ehhh...”

Percy started laughing harder at Nico’s hesitance.

“Just say it, Neeks, you want your hair to be long enough for people to run their hands through it.”

“That makes it sound like I want random people touching me like some creep,” Nico pouted. “I just...I like when you two and Jason do it. It...It makes me feel safe.”

Percy stopped laughing.

Nico had never said that he felt safe before. Will had assumed that it was because he just _didn’t_ feel safe. It would make sense for him to have a hard time feeling safe after going through all that he had, so Will had never questioned it. Hearing Nico say that he actually felt safe when Will, Percy, or Jason ran their hands through his hair made Will emotional. Sometimes, it was difficult to see how much Nico cared for other people, but this was one of the moments in which it was painfully obvious. Beneath all of the sassiness and pain, Nico was a really vulnerable and heartfelt person. He loved everyone so much that Will was honestly in awe.

Nico bit his lip after a slightly too-long silence. “You guys are making it weird. Someone please say something.”

Will exhaled, his breath laced in both amusement and wonder.

“Um, you’re literally the most precious person I’ve ever met?” the blond said unsurely.

Percy made a face, but Nico looked down shyly. The older boy seemed to let it go, though, and instead looked over at his little brother curiously. The way that he looked at him spoke of alarm.

“Hold up, Nico, can you stand?”

Nico frowned. “Why?”

“Just do it.”

Will could only see their legs when they both stood, but he waited patiently. After a moment, Percy made a weird noise.

“No way!”

Percy sat back down and smiled at the webcam. “Your tiny boyfriend seems to be catching up to you.”

Nico sat back down as well, but Will was confused.

“What?”

“Nico’s getting taller!” Percy cheered.

Nico pushed his brother yet again. “Hey, it’s not like I’m a leprechaun. You don’t have to act so shocked. It’s perfectly normal for guys to get growth spurts at eighteen.”

“You’re changing so much, sunshine,” Will gasped dramatically. “By the time we get back to school, I won’t even recognize you!”

Nico rolled his eyes. “I can’t believe I basically ended up dating a slightly-more-sane version of my brother.”

“Hey, give me some credit,” Will argued. “...I’m smarter than him too.”

“HEY!”

Will and Nico started giggling, and just like that, Will felt so much better. Speaking with Nico and Percy made him happy. It made him feel like  _him_. He really appreciated it.

Especially because where he was now, he was nothing more than an inconvenience.


	29. Chapter 29

(Percy)

Percy woke up to screaming—loud, desperate, and terrified screaming.

The boy immediately sprinted to his brother’s room. He turned the lights on and rushed to Nico’s bed. It was a system. Percy hated that this happened enough for him to do all of this without thinking. He hated that Nico was always in so much pain. It made his heart hurt.

Percy sat on the bed, caught Nico’s thrashing shoulders, and pulled the hysterical boy up, against his chest. He made soft shushing noises and held Nico so tightly that he was basically restraining him—if he didn’t, Nico would start hurting himself.

Sally and Paul rushed in a moment later, right as Nico woke up. The younger boy started sobbing heavily into Percy’s shirt, and Sally approached slowly, settling next to her sons and wrapping her arms around both of them. Nico began to make pitiful squeaking noises as Sally rubbed his back.

Nico didn’t say anything—didn’t relay his dream or ask for reassurance—but he didn’t need to. The entire family knew what was in his nightmares. They knew that he saw Bianca, Tartarus, and sometimes both mixed together. They didn’t need him to tell them what he’d been dreaming of. They knew.

Percy could hear Stella crying. She’d probably been woken up by the commotion. Paul squeezed Nico’s shoulder soothingly before going to tend to his daughter. Percy doubted that Nico had even felt it. He was crying so _hard_.

“Shh,” Percy soothed, running his fingers through Nico’s hair and resting his cheek on the smaller boy’s head. “You’re alright, Neeks. It was just a nightmare. You’re safe.”

Sally pressed a kiss to Nico’s temple before scooting closer. The three of them stayed like that for a long time. Eventually, though, Nico cried himself back to sleep. Percy hugged him tighter as Sally grabbed a tissue and wiped the distressed boy’s face free of tears and snot. Nico’s breaths were labored and entirely through his mouth because of how plugged up his nose was from crying. His face was red, splotchy, and puffy as well. All of it made him look so devastated...so _vulnerable_.

Sally kept an arm over Percy’s shoulders as Nico slept. She toyed with the ends of her eldest’s hair.

“You’re a good big brother, Percy,” she whispered, careful not to wake Nico.

Percy carefully resettled until he was leaning on his mother’s shoulder. Nico’s face ended up buried in his neck, but he didn’t care. He didn’t mind when Nico touched him. He actually treasured it because of how rare it was.

“I just wish he could go a week without a nightmare,” Percy sighed. “Just one week.”

Sally leaned her head on Percy’s.

“Me too, darling...me too.”


	30. Chapter 30

(Nico)

“Woah!” Leo gasped as soon as Nico opened the door. The latter rolled his eyes.

“Hello to you too.”

He walked in with Jason—Piper and Annabeth were already in the living room—and the latter had a very similar reaction to the sight of Nico.

“Holy—what did you do to your hair?”

Nico couldn’t help but feel self-conscious. He’d wanted to venture out of his comfort zone a bit, and Percy had said that it looked good, but did it really? Had he just said that to be nice?

“I needed a haircut,” he shrugged, pretending that he was indifferent to their opinions.

Jason picked up on it, though—of course.

“Well, it looks nice,” he said, slinging an arm over Nico’s shoulders. “Different, but nice. Makes you look hot.”

“Ew,” Nico grimaced. Jason laughed.

“I’m sorry. Did you want me to say ‘no homo’ after that?”

“Do _not_ do that.”

“He’s right, though,” Leo singsonged, racing past them and into the living room. Nico and Jason both sighed in exasperation.

“He’s such a weirdo,” Jason chuckled.

Nico bit his lip. “Yeah...eh...does it...Does my hair actually look okay?”

Jason smiled in that sweet-but-smug way. Nico had never been able to decide whether he liked that expression or hated it. It probably didn’t matter, though. Jason would keep doing it, regardless of Nico’s opinion on the matter.

“Yeah, it looks really nice...Also, I swear, you’ve grown like four inches since I last saw you. Your skin looks a lot healthier too,” Jason commented, ruffling Nico’s soft hair. “You, my friend, are glowing up very nicely.”

Nico chuckled slightly. “So what you’re saying is that soon I’ll have to start fighting off all the boys that want to sleep with me?”

“I mean, I can think of a certain son of Apollo that would gladly do it for you,” Jason teased.

Nico felt a little flustered, but he tried to push it down. He got overwhelmed too easily, and he couldn’t just be blushing and biting his lip all the time. That was just _embarrassing_. He was a man, not an anime girl.

“Speaking of Will, has _he_ seen your new style?”

Nico shook his head. “No...I suck at taking selfies, I feel awkward asking my mom or Paul to take a picture, and I don’t trust Percy with my phone, so...yeah. He’ll see it the next time we Skype.”

“I could always take a picture of you,” Jason offered.

Nico shrugged. “If you want.”

Nico gave Jason his phone. He felt awkward as his friend held it up to take a picture, but he just smiled a little. He hoped it looked okay. He didn’t want to send Will any pictures that looked bad. He was already so unattractive in comparison to his boyfriend. He didn’t want it to be so obvious. He wanted to look good for Will. He’d be ashamed to look bad in a photo sent to him.

When Jason handed Nico the phone back, the latter checked the photo. It was okay. He still felt like he looked a little ugly, but it could have been worse.

He sent it to Will with a short caption before he could talk himself out of it, and Jason chuckled at him.

“Why are you so filled with nervous energy?”

Nico sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Sorry...Had some...some pretty bad nightmares. Last night.”

Jason’s face immediately shifted. He was so obviously concerned. He’d _always_ been so concerned about Nico, almost to an annoying degree.

“You okay?”

“Yeah,” Nico nodded—maybe his nodding was a bit too fast. “Just inconvenient. Woke up Stella. Mom and Percy helped.”

“Are you sure you’re okay? You’re not really making full sentences.”

Nico took a deep breath. It felt so stupid, but just sending that picture to Will make his anxiety skyrocket. He blamed the stupid nightmare. He wouldn’t be like this if he just hadn’t had any dreams. He would be fine. He wouldn’t be worrying so much about his sweet boyfriend finding him ugly if he had just gotten some proper sleep.

Nico realized that there were shadows coming out of him only a millisecond before Jason did. The blond boy grabbed Nico’s hand and inspected it, as if that could do anything. (Nico loved Jason, but he could be a bit dumb sometimes.)

Nico sucked in an anxious breath. “I think I just need to lie down for a little bit.”

Jason nodded. “Yeah, do that...Just don’t go in your room.”

Nico was about to argue, but then Jason spoke again. “Please? We all miss you. I can kick the others off of the couch so you can lie down. You don’t even need to participate. Just please, we want you around.”

Nico sighed in acquiescence. He’d always given in to Jason too easily.

“Fine.”


	31. Chapter 31

(Will)

Sitting at the dinner table probably wasn’t supposed to feel like this.

Will quietly ate as his mother, Naomi, and her boyfriend, Hank, chatted. They were having a conversation about Naomi’s music—Hank was her manager—and it wasn’t a conversation Will could contribute anything to. Bringing cellphones to the table was disrespectful, so he just silently sat there. He couldn’t help but compare himself to Nico, for his posture was slumped, and he kept to himself both verbally and physically. He didn’t let himself have a loud presence like he did at college. Instead, he made himself small.

Will knew that it was selfish, but he wished that his mother had asked him about college. Mr. J had, but she hadn’t. She acted as though Will wasn’t even there, and it made him feel insignificant. He _hated_ this feeling. He hated how much he didn’t matter to his own mother. It made him feel absolutely worthless.

“William?”

Will looked up at his mother. “Yeah?”

Naomi hummed, looking towards his nearly empty plate. Her face was passive with a hint of pleasantness, just like it always was. That expression had always confused Will. Her chilling words had never matched up with her easy smile and calm blue eyes.

“If you’re finished, you can leave, you know.”

Will felt something clench in his gut as the feeling of being unwanted settled over him. There was a lump in his throat as he got up, so he hurried to rinse off his plate. Once he started his trek to his bedroom, he took a shaky breath, running an anxious hand through his hair. He hated this feeling. He hated how his own mother didn’t even seem to want him. Why had she even kept him if she didn’t want him?

Will lied down in his room with the lights off. He felt like he was going to cry. He really didn’t want to, though. He hated how emotional a simple dismissal could make him. No one else could make him feel so awful so easily—no one but his mother. It was unfair.

To try and distract himself, Will checked his phone. He had two new messages from Nico. He figured that texting his boyfriend would cheer him up, so he opened them.

The first message was a picture with the caption, “So, this is my haircut.” Will was in awe at the picture. Nico’s haircut was so different. His hair was as dark and fluffy as usual, just shorter, and it was long enough on top that it fell to his ears. It looked so thick and soft—just as it always did—and Will just wanted to run his fingers through it. That hair looked so _good_ on Nico.

The most gorgeous part of the picture, though, was Nico’s tiny, awkward smile and the way the light shined in his beautiful brown eyes.

Nico looked breathtaking.

The next message was a short video. When Will opened it, he was greeted with the sight ofAnnabeth, Piper, and Leo dancing around the room. They were laughing and singing the song “Roxanne” by Arizona Zervas. Percy was whistling at Annabeth, and Jason ended up choking a little as he laughed and tried to drink soda at the same time. It was chaotic, but everyone looked like they were having fun.

At the end of the video, Nico turned the camera towards his face. He was obviously lying down, and he smiled a little as he ran a hand through his hair.

“I’m surrounded by weirdos,” he sighed fondly before the video cut out a second later.

Will turned his phone off once the video was over. It looked like everyone was having fun. Usually, he would love the fact that Nico was having fun, but at the moment, it just made his heart hurt. He longed for that feeling. He longed for fun and fond exasperation. He just wanted to be with his friends and his boyfriend. He hated it at home. It made him feel so squashed and pathetic, and he just wanted to feel like he did whenever he studied in the library with Nico, Percy, and Annabeth.

Will just wanted to feel _loved_.

He wouldn’t get that here, though. Will couldn’t remember a single moment in which he’d felt as though his mother loved him. Hank certainly didn’t love him. Maybe Mr. J loved him, but Will only saw him occasionally. The boy hated it. He hated that he was constantly walking on eggshells in his own home. He hated that every word from his mother’s mouth felt like a bullet, and he just wanted to feel important. The problem was that he _wasn’t_ important. He wasn’t important to anyone around him, and the people that cherished him and made him feel good about himself were states away. It just _wasn’t fair_.

And so, finally, Will let himself cry.


	32. Chapter 32

(Nico)

Nico’s phone rang while the others were playing Yahtzee. He wasn’t involved, so he didn’t hesitate to pick it up.

It was Will.

Nico answered with a little smile.

“Hey.”

Alarm bells started ringing in his head when he heard sniffling. Was Will _crying_? Nico had only ever witnessed Will cry once before, when he’d come to apologize after their argument. That hadn’t been anything like this, though. Those were quiet, little tears running down his face, not heavy breaths and barely-contained weeps. Something was wrong. Something was really wrong, and Nico needed to fix it. Will was too good to cry. Just the sound of his shaky breaths made Nico panic.

“Will?” Nico asked worriedly, sitting up fast. “What’s going on? Are you crying?”

At Nico’s words, the others looked over at them. Percy and Annabeth looked the most concerned, but Nico didn’t pay attention. Instead, he stood and escaped to his bedroom. This type of thing required privacy.

“I’m sorry,” Will said. His voice was thick with sadness and sounded so vulnerable, “I just—I didn’t know what else to do but call you.”

Nico shook his head and let out a breath as he closed his bedroom door. “You don’t need to apologize, tesoro. I’m always here for you, okay?”

Will sniffled more, and Nico settled onto the bed. His heart broke a little when Will actually _sobbed_. It was a small sob, but it still made Nico want to do nothing but destroy the cause of Will’s sadness. He couldn’t bear to hear his boyfriend cry.

Will took a shaky breath. “I’m sorry, I...It’s stupid. I just—I just wanted to feel loved for a little bit.”

Nico was going to destroy whatever or whoever had caused this.

“Oh, vita mia, you’re so loved...you have no idea,” Nico said softly, sweetly. “I love you so much.”

“I know,” Will sighed. “I know you love me, and I love you too. I just—my mom. I didn’t—I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to make a big deal of it, but she—this is stupid but she...I don’t...I don’t think she ever wanted me? She just—she sent me off to boarding school at the first available opportunity, and she never pays attention to me. She had her assistant pick me up from the airport, and she doesn’t talk to me, but when she does, it just...it’s like I’m nothing, Nico. She doesn’t even care enough to remember my sexuality, and I just—I’m sorry. This is so stupid—“

“That’s not stupid, Will. That is the exact opposite of stupid,” Nico interrupted. “Your mother’s neglecting you. Of course you’re upset...I just wish I could make it better for you.”

Will coughed a bit as Nico lied back on his mattress. “It’s just...It’s always been like this, _forever_. I—I can’t remember a single time in my life when I felt like she actually loved me. I—My dad’s already not present, and she just—she’s not either. _Apollo_ checks in on me more than she does, and she calls me at school, but it’s only like once a year, and it’s like she has this set timer for like three minutes before she just _hangs up_ , and she never even pays attention...I don’t even think she remembers my middle name.”

Nico had never wanted to punch a woman in the face so much. How could she do this? What mother treated her son like this? People treated stray animals better than Will’s mother treated him. How was that fair? How was it that Will’s mother could just not pay attention to her own son? That was _abuse_.

“I’m so sorry, Will,” Nico sighed, almost beginning to cry as well. “Just—tell me what I can do. Do you want to rant to me? Do you want me to distract you? What do you need? I’ll borrow my mom’s car and drive all the way there if I have to.”

Will sniffled. “I just wanted to hear your voice...It’s soothing.”

Nico wasn’t too good at making himself talk for long periods of time, but he was willing to try. He’d do anything to make Will feel better. He was willing to make a complete fool out of himself if it meant that Will felt okay.

But then, Nico had a better idea.

“What if I sing to you?” he asked.

Nico loved singing. Before Tartarus, there had always been a tune coming from him, whether he was humming it or singing it. Music had always been a big part of his life. He could remember being a child and sitting with Bianca and their mother, singing along to anything from soft Italian lullabies to English songs they heard on the radio. Music was just a part of his soul.

He hadn’t felt like singing in years, though.

But he would do it for Will.

“Would you?” Will asked softly. “You don’t have to. I just...ever since Jason told me you sang, I’ve wanted to hear.”

Nico smiled at that. “Well then, just relax and take a few deep breaths...all you have to do is listen.”

Nico sang the first song that came to mind.

_“When I look into your eyes,_

_It's like watching the night sky_

_Or a beautiful sunrise..._

_Oh, there’s so much they hold.”_

As Nico sang, it felt like he was turning the key in an old door within himself. It was like he had locked away all of the music inside of him. Now, he was letting it go. He was embracing it again because the man he loved was in pain. Will needed comfort, and this was the best way that Nico knew how to provide it without touching him.

Nico could hear breathing from the other end of the line as he sang, but Will didn’t say anything. He didn’t even _sniffle_. It was as if he didn’t want to risk missing any sound that came from Nico’s end. It made the son of Hades feel full and warm. Will cared for him so much.

When the song was over, Will let out a big breath.

“Your voice is amazing,” he said. “Can you sing to me all the time?”

Nico hummed, feeling the music stirring in his soul once again. Now that he’d sung something, he never wanted to stop singing. He’d forgotten how much the act of singing eased him, how nice it made him feel.

“I would love to,” Nico responded earnestly. Singing to Will felt nice. It felt intimate and sweet. He liked that feeling.

Will sniffled a little, and it sounded like there was a bit of rustling.

“Can you sing more?”

Nico didn’t need to be asked twice.


	33. Chapter 33

(Percy)

Nico sank into the couch next to Percy. When he sat down, he seemed to curl his body into the arm of the piece of furniture. It was very endearing.

“Morning.”

Nico groaned in response, and Percy rolled his eyes.

They sat for a while without talking, and Percy just tried to decide when it would be appropriate to ask Nico about Will. Percy was worried for him. Will was his friend, and Percy didn’t like it when his friends were upset. It had never felt right for the people he cared for to hurt.

“Was Will okay last night?” Percy finally asked after a few minutes.

Nico yawned. “More or less. He’s having some family issues so he just called me so he could vent a little and calm down...he says my voice soothes him, so...”

“So you guys talked?”

“I sang to him,” Nico shrugged. “Of course, we talked through the issue a little first, but he just wanted to hear my voice, and singing is a lot easier than talking with no responses.”

Percy’s eyes went wide. Nico hadn’t sung in _years_. Percy had been used to hearing him in the shower or just randomly, but after Tartarus, he’d stopped, and it had become so eerily quiet in their apartment. Nico without music had never felt right.

“You sang to him?”

Nico nodded, and Percy was floored. How was it possible that Will was motivating Nico to improve so much? Did he have some sort of special ability that made people feel comfortable with him or something? Was Nico under some sort of spell?

Nico squished his cheek into the couch and glanced over at Percy.

“Hearing Will cry makes me feel like my heart is breaking,” he said.

Percy sighed, reaching over to squeeze Nico’s shoulder. “If it’s any consolation, that’s how all of us feel when we see you cry.”

Nico hummed.

“Well, I guess I’ve just been a huge prick all these years then.”

Percy couldn’t help but laugh at the way he’d said that. He’d missed Nico’s snark.

“Nah, you’re good.”

The two of them stayed silent for a bit more, just relaxing and trying to wake up fully. They were like this for ten minutes, but then Nico’s stomach decided to growl. Percy was happy that he was starting to get his appetite back. His body was looking less and less skeletal by the day, and it was comforting.

“Gods, I’m so hungry,” Nico groaned.

Sally and Paul had already left for work, but the boys still had some food options in their kitchen. They could make breakfast for themselves.

Percy hummed. “...Wanna make waffles?”

Nico looked over at Percy, and it seemed like he was going to refuse, but then a wide grin spread across his face.

“Heck yeah.”

So that was what they did.


	34. Chapter 34

(Will)

Will was watching The Great British Baking Show when his phone vibrated. Naomi was doing something with Hank, and Will was home alone. He had been content to just watch Netflix until it was time for his Skype call with Nico. When he was home, he didn’t do as much as he usually did. Most things felt uncomfortable inside the house that he shared with his mother, so he just watched TV.

There was a new text from Percy when Will checked his phone. It was a video with no caption, and Will was curious, so he clicked on it. Percy usually had a caption of some sort, so this was unusual.

He was immediately greeted by the sight of Percy’s face. Will was alarmed by his appearance. His eyes were red, puffy, and teary. There were real teardrops running down his cheeks, and the redness of his eyes made his irises seem to be almost a violent shade of green.

Percy was crying. Will had never seen him cry before.

“Yes, I’m crying on the hallway floor,” Percy said right at the beginning of the video. “My butt hurts from sitting here for so long, but I just...I can’t move.”

Percy sniffled and took a deep breath. “Gods, I’m so pathetic,” he said to himself, chuckling sadly through tears.

Will didn’t know how to react, but he paused the TV. He couldn’t miss what Percy was saying. Something was going on, and Will needed to know what it was. Percy had never been a crier, so something serious must have happened if he was crying like that. Was he okay? Was _Nico_ okay?

“I just wanted to say thank you,” Percy continued after a while. “Ever since—ever since you came along, Nico’s just...he’s acting more and more like _my_ Nico by the day, and I...I’ve been trying for _years_ to do a quarter of what you’ve done in _months_. I just—Gods, thank you so much, Will.”

Will was confused and honestly a little concerned for Percy’s well-being. This just didn’t seem right. Percy was never this serious when speaking to him. The only other time that Percy had spoken to him this seriously had been when Will had snapped at Nico. Percy just didn’t do this, so it was quite a sight to see.

Percy wiped his nose with his sleeve. “He’s _singing_ ,” he said with a wet laugh.

Percy moved the phone—closer to a door next to him—and sure enough, Will could hear noise. Water was running, but a loud and amazing voice overpowered the sound of water, singing.

_“My loneliness is killing me,_

_And I,_

_I must confess_

_I still believe—“_

Nico was singing in the shower. He was singing a Britney Spears song, but his incredible voice made the song sound like it was the best song on earth. Will was dumbfounded at how beautiful Nico’s voice was. He hadn’t thought that someone could have such a good voice. Nico was so good that it seemed _impossible_. How could Nico have been hiding this for so long?

Percy chuckled a bit and pointed the phone camera back at his own face. “I’m twenty years old, and yet I’ve been sitting on the carpet in the hallway for fifteen minutes, crying as I listen to my brother sing ‘ _Baby One More Time_.’ What even is my life?”

So Percy was crying because Nico was singing. Why? What was with the emotional reaction? Nico’s voice was, perhaps, the most angelic sound that Will had ever heard, yes, but that still didn’t explain why Percy was crying as Nico sang a song that wasn’t even emotional.

“Ever since my mom started fostering Nico and his sister, Nico would _always_ be singing—anything from Italian Opera to Top Forty. There just—there would always be music coming from him whether it was humming or tapping or singing or snapping or whatever. I think he’s, like, a musical prodigy or something. The choir teacher at school said he has perfect pitch, and he’s _amazing_ at reading sheet music. He can even play the _piano_.”

Will was a bit shocked to learn this, for none of it lined up with what he knew of Nico. Will had always thought of his boyfriend as a purely quiet and reserved being. He pictured this Nico that Percy was describing, but it just didn’t seem to totally fit. That made him sad. Was it really that hard for him to picture his boyfriend so happy and bright? If this was who Nico really was, did Will know him _at all_?

Percy kept going, and Will watched as the older man’s eyes welled up with tears yet again. “After he came back from Tartarus, it was all just gone. He never sang or tapped or _anything_. He got so quiet, and everything was just so wrong...He hasn’t sung in three years, but _you_ —He’s singing again, and that’s because of _you_. Loving you and being loved _by_ you is making him better, Will. You’re getting me my little brother back, little by little...Thank you so much.”

The video ended soon after, and Will was a little alarmed. He didn’t know how to feel about all of this information. It seemed almost like a weird hallucination, for he hadn’t known anything about Nico’s supposed love of music, nor had he ever seen Percy cry before. He was caught off guard.

Maybe he would have to mention it to Nico when they Skyped later.


	35. Chapter 35

(Nico)

Nico was spacing out when Will’s face finally popped up on the screen, so he startled a bit, jumping backwards.

“Ah—Ciao!” he sputtered.

When Nico calmed his heart and started paying proper attention to the screen, he noticed that Will was laughing at him. He just sighed and tried to ignore his embarrassment. He needed to stop being such a ditz.

“Did you just get so startled that you used the wrong language?” the blond boy giggled.

Nico huffed. “Hey, whenever I speak English, I have to translate it in my head first. My thoughts are in Italian, so when I’m startled enough that happens, okay?”

Will’s eyes suddenly widened a little. “Wait, really?” he asked. “You think in Italian? You’ve been in America for eight years, though.”

“I’m still a born-Italian. English is my second language. I think in Italian, I take notes in Italian, my dreams are usually in Italian, my phone’s language is set to Italian, and I like turning on Italian subtitles when I watch TV or movies. I doubt I’ll ever really think or do much besides speak in English. Sometimes I don’t really like speaking English, though.”

“Does it not sound as nice?”

Nico shook his head and shrugged at the same time. “I mean, it can sound weird, especially when I’m stressed or overwhelmed, but I just like speaking in Italian because...I don’t know, it’s my identity I guess? ...Sometimes I think about if I’ll eventually lose my accent when I speak English, and it freaks me out. I guess if I keep speaking Italian, it’ll make me feel more like me.”

Will looked at Nico through the screen with a focused expression. It made Nico’s heart melt just a little. Will was such an attentive boyfriend.

“I guess I’ve never thought about it...Let me know if you ever feel like I’m pressuring you to be ‘more American.’ I want you to be comfortable in yourself around me.”

Nico chuckled. “Ah, mio tesoro, you’re so sweet. Don’t worry. I think you fawning over my accent is enough to assure me that you like me in all my Italian glory.”

Nico expected Will to laugh along, but instead, he furrowed his brow. He looked confused.

“That. What was that that you just called me? You called me that on the phone too, that and something else,” he asked curiously.

Nico blushed when he realized what was going on. He’d been calling Will by affectionate pet names. He’d hardly even realized it, but it felt so natural at the same time. He felt like a proper boyfriend when he used little endearments like that. Still, the fact that Will had outright mentioned it was embarrassing. Nico just hoped that Will was okay with it and that he didn’t find it weird.

“Eh, ‘mio tesoro,’” Nico answered shyly. “It’s, eh, it’s a term of endearment...It means ‘my treasure.’ I...I think the other one I used was ‘vita mia,’ and that means ‘my life.’ Sorry if that...if it’s weird. It just—It just felt right?”

Will shook his head with a slightly awed look on his face. “‘Weird?’ Sunshine, that is the most adorable thing I have ever heard. _Please_ continue calling me that...and any other cute Italian pet name you can think of.”

Nico’s shoulders sagged in relief.

“Okay...luce dei miei occhi...”

Will squealed excitedly. “Ooh! What does that one mean?!”

Nico avoided eye contact. “Light of my eyes...”

Will’s smile was bright, and Nico was feeling a little too much, so he grabbed a throw blanket from beside him and wrapped it tightly around himself. It helped make him feel more contained and less like his emotions were spilling out everywhere. Arms wrapped around him worked best, but blankets could do the trick when he wasn’t panicking.

Nico looked back at the screen to see Will looking towards him with adoring eyes.

“You are the most precious, beautiful creature in the entire multiverse,” Will sighed dreamily. “Gods, I wanna kiss you so much right now.”

Nico was about to respond, but suddenly there was a different voice.

“‘Kiss?’ Who are you kissing, William?”

Will’s entire presence changed at the sound of that voice. His smile fell, and his shoulders curled inwards as his head ducked lower that it usually was. It was like he was shielding himself, and Nico didn’t like it at _all_. It was all kinds of wrong.

Will turned, and Nico could see the torso and legs of a woman. It must have been his mother.

“I’m on a video call with my boyfriend, Mom,” he told her. “You know, Nico? The one I told you about?”

Suddenly, she was approaching.

“A _boyfriend_? I’m pretty sure I’d remember you telling me about that.”

Nico felt his heart crumble a little at Will’s tiny wince, but his focus was immediately pulled away from his boyfriend once Will’s mother leaned over and into frame. She had blue eyes, but they weren’t nearly as pretty as Will’s, and her hair was immaculately straight—too straight to be natural.

Most importantly, though, she looked overwhelmingly familiar.

“Hello there, young man. I’m William’s mother, Naomi.”

Nico swallowed, licking his lips. “The country singer?”

Naomi frowned. “Yes, though I don’t know why you said it like that.”

Now, Nico was confused.

“How—how did I say it?”

“What do you mean, how?” she chuckled slightly. It sounded a little like a high-school bully’s laugh. “You’re still doing it. You’re talking like Mario and Luigi.”

Will and Nico realized what she meant at the same time.

“Mom!” Will exclaimed in horror. “You can’t _say_ things like that! That’s Nico’s _accent_!”

“Well, he sounds like he should have a curly mustache and own a pasta/pizza joint,” Naomi shrugged before looking back towards Nico’s shocked face. “Where are you from, sweetie? Little Caesars?”

Nico had never heard such offensive words said so innocently.

“What in Hades are you doing?!” Will suddenly blurted. “Apologize!”

Naomi looked over at Will in shock. “Excuse me, young man, you don’t tell me what to do. I am the parent here—“

“You offended someone I love very much, so you need to apologize. I wouldn’t _have_ to tell you to do it if you were mature enough to know better on your own,” Will interrupted.

Nico had never seen this assertive side of Will before. Honestly, he found it kind of attractive, especially considering the fact that Will was standing up for _him_. Nico could feel skeletal butterflies flapping away in his stomach. Will was just so attractive without even trying.

“William—“

“He emigrated from Italy when he was ten,” Will said, cutting his mother off. “His accent is a part of who he is, and you’ve insulted it.”

Nico almost expected Naomi to apologize at that point, but she just sighed in annoyance.

“Whatever. I’m going out with Hank. Call Mr. J if you need anything,” she said in irritation before standing up straight again and walking away.

Once she was gone, Nico looked towards Will.

“Are you okay?” Nico asked.

Will sighed and deflated against the table in front of him, head in his hands. “I couldn’t even get her to apologize.”

“Hey, come on, I’m fine,” Nico reassured, wishing that he could put a hand on Will’s arm or hug him—or _something_. “Yeah, it was a bit mean, but I don’t care about her opinion, especially considering how she acts towards _you_.”

Suddenly, Will started crying, but this time, Nico could actually see it as well as hear it. Will’s shoulders shook, and the way that his body moved along with the tiny whimpers coming out of him made Nico panic.

“Hey, shh, it’s okay, Will, I’m fine,” Nico reassured. “There’s nothing to worry about, okay?”

Will sat up and wiped at his face as he continued to cry. “I’m sorry. I just—I hate it here so much.”

“Is there anything I can do?” Nico asked. He hated not being able to help.

“Talking with you helps...Your presence is really comforting.”

Nico let out a breath. He hated seeing Will cry, but he hated it even more now because he couldn’t hug him. They were across the country from each other. They couldn’t touch, couldn’t kiss.

They were barely into their break, and Nico already couldn’t take it.

“Do you want me to sing again?” Nico asked.

Will hummed. “It would be nice.”

And so that was what Nico did.

He sang to Will until the latter was smiling again. 


	36. Chapter 36

(Mr. J)

Mr. J was given the duty of picking Will up from the Solace residence, so that was what he did. He even arrived early, just to check in on the boy and make sure that everything was okay. He didn’t want Will to stress himself out.

Mr. J really cared about Will. He saw himself in him. Will was just a boy looking for love and recognition, and Mr. J tried to give him that. Naomi completely lacked motherly instincts even for a fully human child, and she had no idea how to handle a demigod son. Mr. J liked to think that he did, though. He tried to show Will care as much as he was able, and they had an amicable relationship. Mr. J was a bit like an uncle to Will. He’d been the one to encourage the love of medicine and strong intuition that had come from Will’s godly father. When Will had just been learning how to read, Mr. J had comforted him over his frustration with his dyslexia. He’d always been the one to check up on Will at boarding school and pick up the prescriptions for his ADHD medication. He loved that boy a lot, and he liked to think that he knew him well.

Mr. J definitely knew him well enough to know that Will would have an awful time tonight.

Every year, Naomi threw a huge Christmas party and invited many fellow celebrities as well as employees from her label. Will was expected to come every year as well, and he had always disliked it. Mr. J had noticed that Will didn’t like anything that made him seem like nothing more than Naomi Solace’s son. Will had always wanted to stand out and be his own person. Because of that, he had gone through many phases in high school. He’d even died his hair brown at one point in order to distance himself from the image of his mother. No matter what he did, though, people only seemed to remember him as Naomi‘s kid. It was rather unfortunate.

When Mr. J entered the house, he found Will sitting on the couch and typing on his phone. The party was a formal event, so Will wore a full-piece suit that Mr. J had picked up for him the day before—after the tailors had adjusted the fit to look the best that it could look on Will. It was cobalt blue and shimmering all over with glitter. It fit well over his frame, and Mr. J knew that some of the guests’ daughters would fawn over the boy because of it. Will was a very handsome young man, and the suit just accentuated his charm. The color brought out the blue in his eyes and the bright blonde in his hair. His hair had been tamed so that it was still curly but looked more professional. He looked collected and endearing all at once, just as the Solaces’ personal stylist had intended.

Will looked up and sighed as he saw Mr. J. “Well, let’s get this over with.”

When Will was eventually sitting in the passenger’s seat of Mr. J’s vehicle, Mr. J felt the need to fill the space with conversation. He noticed that Will was texting someone, so that was the lead he took.

“Who are you texting? Friends from college?”

Will looked up and smiled ever-so-slightly. “Yeah...I have a group chat with Nico, Percy, and Annabeth. Percy is Nico’s brother, and Annabeth is Percy’s girlfriend. I sent them a picture of me in the suit, and they started talking about it.”

“Giving you a hard time?”

“Not exactly,” Will chuckled slightly. “Annabeth thinks I look cute, Nico said I look handsome, and Percy’s just jealous...His favorite color’s blue, and he said that he was upset that I got to have an nice blue suit while he didn’t.”

Mr. J laughed a bit at that. He was really glad that Will was making friends, and they seemed very interesting. Mr. J was especially intrigued by Will’s boyfriend, Nico di Angelo. Nico looked very mysterious, at least in the picture that Mr. J had seen. He had ghastly pale skin and scars on his neck and face that made Mr. J a little nervous. He wondered how the boy had gotten scars like those. More importantly, though, Mr. J wondered what the boy was like. Obviously, Will was utterly smitten with him, but Mr. J still wanted to see what his personality was like. He wanted to meet him.

They arrived at the venue very soon, and Mr. J walked beside Will as they made their way towards the doors. The outside of the building was swarmed by reporters and photographers, and Mr. J just knew that Will would hate all of the attention.

“There are, like, twice as many reporters as last year,” Will lamented as people started noticing him.

Mr. J spotted Naomi getting out of a different car, so he led Will towards her. For events such as these, she liked pretending that she was a far more attentive mother than was actually the case. She liked when her and Will were photographed together, even if Will hated it.

Mr. J honestly wanted to just drive Will right back home, but he was Naomi’s assistant. It was his job to do what she said, even if it worked towards Will’s discomfort.

It was in times like these that Mr. J hated his job.


	37. Chapter 37

(Will)

After too many pictures at the door, Naomi escorted Will inside by the arm. She dragged him towards too many people to keep track of, and it made him dizzy. He already wanted to go home.

After Naomi had finally let Will go, he went over to get some food and sat down at his reserved seat. Of course, considering that he was the son of the party’s hostess, his seat was in plain view. Everyone could see him, and the fact that his suit was covered in glitter didn’t help in the slightest. He felt like a disco ball.

Will had been surrounded by this type of thing since a very young age. His mother had always insisted on dragging him to formal events, and that was only encouraged by how everyone at the events seemed to enjoy Will’s presence. He knew how to talk and how to act in ways that were polite and interesting. He laughed with people and had animated conversations. People would probably think that he _loved_ these formal events, but he actually disliked them quite a bit.

Will had just conditioned himself to deal with them.

Before long, Will was approached. A familiar girl came up to him, smiling. She was also one of the celebrities’ children, and her name was Abbigail. Her and Will had been friends for their entire lives. She was very pretty with soft grey eyes and long, auburn hair. Will had to hold back a wince as she approached, though, because this was one of the girls that was adamant about hitting on him.

The thing about Will was that he had no problem with people knowing that he was gay when he knew them in a casual sense. He didn’t know any of _these_ people in a casual sense, though. He didn’t want to come out to this group of “important” people because then he would be on the cover of endless magazines. It wasn’t often that a fairly conservative country singer’s son was publicly gay, and Will just didn’t want that kind of attention. He wanted attention that was based on his own merit, not his mother’s.

“Hey, Will, it’s been a while,” Abbigail greeted. “You look nice.”

Will smiled and turned towards her slightly. “Thank you. You look stunning as well, though I don’t know how you can breathe in that dress.”

Abbigail _did_ look stunning as she stood before Will in her long, red gown. The dress flowed over her body like water, and everyone at the event that was attracted to women was probably drooling over her. She wasn’t only pretty, though. She was also an amazing person. That was what made this so uncomfortable. Abbigail was an absolute catch. She was so sweet and beautiful. She was effortlessly glamorous, and she was super funny too. Will wished that they could just be good friends without all of this awkward tension because she was an awesome friend, and Will had absolutely adored her company before he’d found out about her crush on him. He didn’t know how to act around her anymore because he wasn’t interested in her romantically but also didn’t know how to say it in a nice way.

Abbigail blushed a little at the compliment. Her smile was nice.

“Yeah, the tailors took it in a little _too_ much...I see you had to escape your mother,” she said.

Will hummed and raised an eyebrow. “I see you had to escape your father.”

Abbigail leaned a little on the chair behind her, probably to relieve her ankles a little because those heels looked horrifying. Will had never understood why people would willingly subject themselves to that torture. Though, it was probably not willingly in Abbigail’s case. Will had seen her in a more casual setting _many_ times, and her sense of style was more comfortable and casual than that. Will could understand that, for he, himself, would rather just be in some flip flops and jeans.

“You started college this year too, right?” Abbigail asked.

Will nodded. “Yeah, I’m at Sparta College. I’m majoring in biochem with a pre-med path.”

“Of course, I wouldn’t expect anything less,” Abbigail said with an amused roll of her eyes. “I got a scholarship for Stanford, so that’s were I’m at. I’m a poli-sci major.”

“Fancy,” Will replied. “Make any friends so far? Anyone trying to be your friend just because of how big of a star your dad is?”

Abbigail rolled her eyes, shifting her weight. As she did so, her ankle rolled out from under her, and she lost her balance. Will moved on instinct, catching her by the arm. She looked alarmed.

“Sorry,” she apologized, shaking her head. “These heels are going to be the death of me.”

Will let go of her arm and motioned towards the seat next to him. “Why don’t you sit down? No one’s assigned for this seat next to me because the guy ended up not being able to make it. I doubt anyone would mind.”

Abbigail smiled gratefully and sat down. She looked much more relaxed now that she didn’t have to stand in those heels. Again, Will had no idea why people chose to torture themselves with shoes like that.

“So,” Abbigail cleared her throat. “We were talking about college, right?”

Will nodded. “Yeah, I asked if you had any friends so far or, at least, people desperately trying to be your friend because your dad’s famous.”

“Oh, there are a lot of those,” Abbigail sighed. “I have a couple people that I see in classes that seem nice, but a lot of people just want to be buddy-buddy with me because they feel like it will give them connections or fame by extension. What about you?”

Will couldn’t help but smile just thinking about his companions. “No one seems into country music enough to recognize me at my school, so I don’t have a real issue with that, but I found some people that I’ve really bonded with, and all of my professors love me.”

Abbigail rolled her eyes. “What teacher _doesn’t_ love you, you big nerd?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, did you just call _me_ a nerd? Miss Oh-My-Gods-I-Got-A-B-My-Life-Is-Over? You can’t fool _me_.”

“Okay, fine, you have a point.”

Will smiled at his friend. Him and Abbigail had first met when they had been little kids, but they had gone to the same schools throughout their education as well. They’d seen each other’s most cringey and embarrassing moments. Will wondered how she could possibly have a crush on him after all of that. Abbigail had witnessed some pretty big doozies, including the time that Will had dyed his hair brown and the time he’d tried to get everyone to call him Bill instead of Will. Will had done a lot of embarrassing things over the years.

Him and Abbigail reminisced a bit more about all of those things, and Will actually started to have fun. There was no awkward tension anymore, and talking to Abbigail made time move faster. It made him laugh pretty hard as well. In general, talking with Abbigail like this made Will happy.

That was, until _it_ happened.

“So, uh, Will, I was thinking,” Abbigail said sheepishly after a small lull in the conversation. Her cheeks were red, and Will was dreading what she was going to say next. “Would you want to, uh, go out some time? Like on a date?”

Will tried to hold back his wince. He _really_ didn’t want to hurt Abbigail’s feelings, but he couldn’t go out with her. Not only was he taken, but he didn’t even like women on top of that. He didn’t want to reject Abbigail in a way that made her feel unappealing or somehow lacking in anyway either because she was a _knockout_. She was going to make someone very lucky one day, but that someone just wasn’t Will.

Will tried to think of a way to let her down easily, but then he looked into her eyes. She looked so hopeful and vulnerable. She was probably his best friend, and she didn’t deserve some vague lie.

She deserved the truth.

“Abbigail, you are an amazing, breathtakingly beautiful girl,” Will sighed, “but I can’t.”

Abbigail leaned away from Will a little, and it hurt Will’s soul to see her so upset.

“Oh...I—I’m sorry...”

She moved to get up, but Will grabbed onto her arm. He couldn’t let her think that this had anything to do with her or who she was as a person.

“Wait, please listen,” Will pled. “It’s not what you think, I promise. You’re a wonderful girl, really. Anyone would be lucky to have you as their girlfriend.”

Abbigail remained in the chair but wouldn’t meet Will’s eyes. “Then why?”

Will gulped and looked around. No one was looking their way, so he took a deep breath and grabbed Abbigail’s bare shoulder.

“Abbigail look at me,” Will said lowly. Abbigail did as told and met Will’s glance. “If I tell you something really serious and really important, can you promise not to tell anyone?”

Abbigail frowned in confusion. She seemed to finally be sensing the seriousness of the subject matter being discussed.

“Of course...I won’t tell a single soul.”

Will looked around yet again, just to make sure that no one was watching them, before replying. “The reason that I can’t go out with you is that I’m dating someone—“

“You have a girlfriend?”

Will winced and squeezed his eyes shut, cringing. “A boyfriend, actually.”

Abbigail’s eyes went wide. “You’re...”

“Yeah, I am,” Will nodded, only then meeting Abbigail’s eyes. “So please don’t think that you’re in any way lacking because of this. I just...I’m just not _into_...you know.”

Will was too paranoid to actually say it out loud, but Abbigail definitely understood. She looked shocked.

“I can’t believe I’ve known you my whole life, and yet I had no idea,” Abbigail said. “How long have you known?”

Will bit his lip. “Remember Silas Chaudoin?”

“That cute guy who came in eighth grade and had a singing voice that literally made Eleanor faint in the middle of lunch?”

Will smirked a little. “She wasn’t the only one swooning...he was my awakening of sorts. I never dated him, though. Me and Terry Johnston did a little casual dating junior year, though. Nothing serious. We didn’t even really like each other all that much.”

“Terry’s gay too?” Abbigail asked, absolutely astounded by the information.

“No, he’s bi.”

Abbigail still looked shocked and confused, so Will swallowed and shifted uncomfortably. He couldn’t really decipher what her opinion on his sexuality seemed to be, and he really wanted to know.

“So, you don’t...this doesn’t change your opinion of me, does it?” Will asked.

Abbigail’s expression morphed into one that was caring and almost maternal. “Oh, of course not, Will. Never...In fact, why don’t you tell me about your boyfriend?”

Will raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure that’s okay? I mean...you just asked me out.”

“I’m sure. Now you just know that I think you’re hot. It’s fine. You’re my bestie first.”

Will actually chuckled a little. He then pulled out his phone and quickly looked through his pictures. He found the selfie that Nico had sent him that morning, one of Nico with messy hair and an arm bent over his head. He looked a exasperated in the picture but also amused, probably because he’d only taken the picture through Will’s insistence.

“Here, this is him. His name is Nico,” Will said, handing Abbigail the phone. “We met right around when college had first started. Him, his brother, and his brother’s girlfriend were sitting at a table together in the library, and it was packed that day, so the seat beside Nico seemed to be one of the only few empty spots, and I asked to sit there.”

“If that’s not cliche, I don’t know what is,” Abbigail hummed in a smug way. “He’s cute, though...Also, he has a lot of scars.”

Will nodded and looked down at the picture that was still displayed on his phone. Will was so used to seeing Nico that he had stopped processing a lot of Nico’s visible scars, but Nico was still covered in them. In the picture, Nico was wearing a shirt with a loose neckline, and his arm was bare, so even more scars were visible. Will could even spot some fresh scabs on Nico’s inner forearm. Nico was just _covered_ in them.

“He has a bit of a past,” Will sighed, “but he’s safe now, and he’s slowly recovering.”

Abbigail hummed. “What’s he like? How did he manage to win you over?”

“He’s quiet,” Will shrugged. “Really secretive and anxious too. When he does talk, though, he has this cute Italian accent—he spent nearly the first decade of his life in Italy...For a while, he didn’t like touching me in public apart from occasional handholding and brushing our shoulders together, but ever since we said ‘I love you’ for the first time, he’s been a lot more touchy. As for how he ‘won me over,’ I have no clue. Maybe it was seeing him draw. Maybe it was nothing at all. All I know is that it didn’t take long before I was head-over-heels. Now, he seems to be too...We love each other.”

“That’s adorable,” Abbigail smiled. “Tell me more.”

So Will spent the evening gushing about Nico to his best friend. He liked it. It made him happy and more relaxed than he had been before. It also seemed to help clear the air between him and Abbigail, and the awkward tension between them was slowly dissipating.

Will had never had so much fun at one of his mom’s stupid Christmas parties.


	38. Chapter 38

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I’m sorry for this cameo, but I couldn’t resist 😂😂
> 
> Also, I have another solangelo fic! It's called "Love," so please check it out!!

(Nico)

“So I heard that you’re out now,” Alex hummed, carefully setting up her cards at the top of the tower.

Nico hummed and picked up some cards, himself. “Yeah, I have a boyfriend.”

Nico and Alex were both at the Blofis-Jackson-di Angelo-Chase family Christmas party. Nico and Percy didn’t have any living extended family, so _years_ ago, Frederick Chase had proposed combining their Christmas parties. So that was what they did. It definitely worked in Percy’s and Annabeth’s favors, and while Nico had originally felt awkward and anxious the first time he came to one of these things, he’d gotten more comfortable. Ever since Annabeth’s cousin, Magnus, had started dating Alex, Nico had also had a companion. Him and Alex got along well. They were both snarky, they both weren’t big fans of socializing with unfamiliar people, and they both liked art. It was a match made in heaven.

The two of them had gotten bored, so they were making a card tower. Nico decided not to ask why Alex had so many decks of cards and just went with it, though.

“What’s your boyfriend’s name?” Alex asked.

“Will Solace.”

The two of them continued delicately stacking cards—they were, perhaps, the only two teens there that actually had a delicate touch—but eventually, someone decided to join them. Out of what seemed to be completely nowhere, Magnus appeared behind Alex and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Alex flinched in surprise before glaring towards her boyfriend.

“If you would have made me ruin it, I would have dumped you with absolutely no hesitation.”

Magnus just smiled and rolled his eyes, wrapping his arms around Alex’s waist from behind and resting his chin on her shoulder. Alex seemed to pay him no mind and merely continued what she’d been doing before.

“Hey, Nico,” Magnus smiled Nico’s way.

Nico nodded a little in acknowledgment. “Hi, Magnus.”

“Nico was just telling me about his boyfriend,” Alex said offhandedly.

“Oh, yeah. You just came out, right?”

Nico nodded and bit his lip as he placed a card up almost too high for him to reach. This tower was getting insane.

“We should get a step-stool,” Alex decided.

Before Nico could say anything, his phone rang. Magnus went to go get a step stool for Alex, and Nico checked who was calling. It was Will.

“Hello?”

Nico could hear the smile in Will’s voice. “Hey there, handsome. How’s it going?”

“It’s going alright. Stella hasn’t started crying yet, so that’s a plus.”

As Nico talked, something flashed in his peripheral vision. He looked over and saw that Alex had shifted into a bird and was using that form to try and place more cards on the tower. Nico would probably never get used to seeing Alex turn into different animals, even though she did it _a lot_.

“So, what are you doing now? Sitting and brooding in the corner?”

“No, actually,” Nico hummed, giving up on trying to reach any higher. “I happen to be making the largest card structure on the planet with my usual Christmas party ally.”

“You know, you can just call me your friend, Nico,” Alex—now in her usual human form—said, startling Nico. “You don’t have to be weird about it.”

Nico put a hand on his heart and glared Alex’s way. “Fine, my _friend_ , but can you at least give me some warning whenever you turn back into a human? I’d like to _not_ have a heart attack.”

Alex laughed, but Will seemed confused. Nico sighed and put the phone on speaker.

“Wait, what? Who are you talking to? What do you mean by ‘turn back into a human?’”

Alex smirked. “He’s talking to me. Now, I’m guessing that you’re Nico’s boyfriend, Will, because Nico never talks this enthusiastically to anyone ever. I’m Alex—she/her pronouns at the moment—and I just happened to startle Nico by turning from a bird back to my human form without him noticing.”

“Huh?”

Nico sighed. “Alex is a child of Loki, so she can shape-shift. She’s also been dating Annabeth’s cousin, Magnus, for years, so that’s why she’s here too. We usually hang out together during these kinds of events.”

“Oh...Nice to meet you, Alex,” Will greeted.

“Likewise.”

Alex turned into a bird again, so Nico spared Will and took the call off of speaker.

“You’re off of speaker now.”

Will sighed. “That girl seems to be something else.”

Nico couldn’t help but smile. “Yeah, totally, but in a good way.”

“How come you never told me about her before?” Will asked. “I mean, I thought your social life was limited to your little group.”

Magnus came back with a step stool and handed it to Nico once he saw that Alex had decided to become a bird. Nico smiled at him.

“I never considered anyone my friend,” Nico admitted, trying to ignore the reactions that came from his companions. “Not even Jason. I, I always thought that people barely even tolerated me, and so I guess...I guess it felt weird. I’m getting better, but it’s never really seemed to be that she liked me, that anyone did.”

“Nico, of course I like you.”

Alex was human again, and for once, she looked serious. So did Magnus. They both looked pitying, and Nico didn’t know what to do.

“I—I should probably go. I’ll call you later.”

“Okay. I love you.”

“Love you too. Bye.”

“Bye.”

Nico awkwardly looked over at Alex and Magnus. For a second, nobody moved, but then, suddenly, Nico had Alex’s arms wrapped around him. It was alarming. When it came to anyone but Magnus, Alex  didn’t seem to like physical contact, so her hugging Nico was bizarre. All that Nico could do was awkwardly pat her back.

“Listen, I know this is awkward as fuck, but I really had no idea you felt that way,” Alex said before pulling away. Nico had never seen her look so heartfelt. “We’re friends. I don’t just tolerate you. I _like_ having you around. The first time I came to one of these events, you were the only one besides Magnus and Natalie that made me feel normal, and I always have so much fun when we’re together.”

Nico didn’t really know what to say. “Um, uh, thanks. I’m sorry, I just...It’s hard to feel like people actually care about me.”

Magnus put a hand on Nico’s shoulder. “We _do_ really care about you, dude, especially Alex. You’re our friend.”

Nico smiled at that, but then he noticed something some distance away.

It was Annabeth, and she was smiling brightly at the three of them.


End file.
